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Report From the Wisconsin Policy Forum Finds More People Rely on Food Assistance Than Before the Pandemic

Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024 -- 12:01 PM

(Margaret Faust, Wisconsin Public Radio) More people rely on food assistance than did before the pandemic, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum, according to Margaret Faust with Wisconsin Public Radio.

According to the report, more than 700,000 people were participating in FoodShare in March, a 16 percent increase from pre-pandemic levels. “There is a lot of reason to believe that this elevated count may in fact, be the new normal,” said Mark Sommerhauser, a researcher at the policy forum.

FoodShare is the state program that distributes Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, the federal food assistance program formerly referred to as food stamps. Enrollment increased during the pandemic and peaked in May 2021.

The report said high unemployment rates early in the pandemic may have led people who would have previously qualified for the benefit to apply for it for the first time. At the same time, awareness of the program grew and stigma surrounding the use of this public welfare program may have lessened.

Allen Castillo, FoodShare Advocacy Program manager at the Hunger Task Force, said people saw family and friends enroll. During this time FoodShare eligibility temporarily expanded and benefit payments increased.

Although the pandemic exemptions have ended, a work requirement exemption still applies to the cities of Milwaukee and Racine as well as certain counties, tribal lands and reservations. The report said higher enrollment levels are lingering as the cost of living and food prices remain high.

The federal government ended extra FoodShare benefits last year and as other federal pandemic aid programs expired, many Wisconsin households struggled to make ends meet.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer prices rose 21 percent from March 2020 to March 2024. From 2020 to 2023, the cost of groceries rose by 24 percent.

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