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MPR News with Angela Davis
Catharine Richert and Cari Dwyer
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Hunger and shame: Breaking the stigma around food assistance

Wide shot of a woman pushing a shopping cart through a grocery store.
Jill Branson, 69, of St. Peter visits the local food shelf on July 31. After losing her job, Branson uses SNAP benefits to help afford her groceries. "This is a really good experience for me to set aside my own judgments and preconceived notions and allow myself to accept where I'm at and get help," Branson added.
Hannah Yang | MPR News

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At some point in our lives, many of us will struggle to afford groceries. A job loss, a medical crisis, a divorce, an unexpected expense — life happens. Yet shame often keeps us from seeking help at food shelves and through food assistance programs like SNAP.

MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks about food insecurity and the stigma that often surrounds it.

Guests:

  • Karen Tolkkinen is a columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune who writes about issues and people of greater Minnesota. She recently wrote a column about her experience turning to food assistance at two different points in her life.

  • Susie West is a University of Minnesota Extension educator who manages and leads a program that helps make food shelves more dignified and inviting — places where families can choose food the way they would in a grocery store.

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