Forum on Public Policy 1 Food Stamp Use among Food Pantry Clients in the United States

Although the United States government provides an array of food assistance programs for low-income individuals and families, private emergency food assistance has emerged in the last several decades as an increasingly important resource for meeting food needs among impoverished households. Although emergency food assistance clients generally have very low incomes and have a clear need for additional food, only about one-third of clients surveyed at food pantries indicate that they receive food stamps. This paper examines how food security status is related to participation in the Food Stamp Program for a national sample of food pantry clients. Results indicate that food pantry clients who receive food stamps have a higher probability of being food secure than those who apply for food stamps but do not receive them, but a lower probability of food security than those who have not applied. Increased household income yields a smaller increase in the probability of being food secure in households receiving food stamps than in those not receiving food stamps