Last week, our member Cindy Camp from Baltimore, MD testified at the U.S. House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee to share her family's story about the importance of SNAP. Here is his story:

Good afternoon. My name is Cindy Camp, and I live in Baltimore. I’m a mother, a grandmother, a family caregiver, and a proud member of MomsRising.

For the past seven years, I’ve stepped up as a sandwich generation caregiver for my family. My brother, Leon Wallace, is disabled and homebound. He needs support with his daily needs. For a long time, my mother provided that care, but now she is nearly 90 and needs care herself. So I care for both of them. 

At the same time, my daughter is struggling with her mental health. So I’m also caring for my three grandkids, ages 7, 9, and 13. They are living with me while their mom seeks treatment. My grandkids are a blessing, and I’m proud to step up for them.

Thank you for the chance to share my story. 

My family will always come first. For a while, I couldn’t work because of my family caregiving responsibilities. During that time, I relied on SNAP to buy groceries. Without SNAP, I don’t know how we would have survived. 

If you’ve ever tried to grocery shop for three growing kids, you know it’s expensive, especially now, as costs continue to skyrocket. Making sure everyone in my household gets three meals a day is a huge challenge. 

I’m terrified for my family each time I read that Republicans are threatening to slash the SNAP benefits we rely on to put food on the table. I don’t know how we would make it if that happened. 

SNAP is our saving grace. My daughter receives $875/month in SNAP benefits for my grandkids. Without those funds, I have no idea how the kids would eat. Period. We already don’t make it through the month as it is. I’m already struggling to provide the fresh, healthy food I know they need to grow and thrive. I haven’t bought eggs in a long time. We rely on cheap, processed foods and lean on food banks to fill in the gaps. 

If Republicans succeed in gutting SNAP, that would be nothing short of a crisis for my family. That thought keeps me up at night. It’s not just SNAP – they’re also threatening Medicaid and disability, which are critical for my brother and my mom, and the healthy lunches my grandkids eat at school. It breaks my heart to think any elected leader would let my grandkids go hungry so billionaires can get yet another tax break. Our kids' basic needs should be more important than whether Elon Musk can buy another private jet. 

It’s frustrating when politicians push a narrative that those of us who need SNAP are lazy or don’t want to work. That is out of touch with the reality families like mine are facing. It hurts those of us who can’t work, whether we are caring for family or dealing with a health crisis. Cutting SNAP or adding more burdensome work requirements will cause enormous harm to the most vulnerable members of our society, including children and the elderly. It’s hard enough to qualify for SNAP as it is. These cuts would take critical resources away when they’re needed most. 

I want to thank the Committee for standing up for families like mine. We all need to speak out against these cruel cuts. SNAP is critical for our families and our economy, and it must be protected. Thank you. 

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You can see videos of Cindy’s testimony on our Instagram or BlueSky account.

Do you have a SNAP story? We want to hear from you! Tell us your experience here.