RACHEL CAHILL CONSULTING
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Lived Experience: SNAP Support through Tough Times
Still, being a SNAP participant has a certain stigma, and I surely felt the sting. I still remember the looks I would get when I would occasionally shop at the local “gourmet” grocery store. At this store, you had to tell the cashier you were using EBT before swiping your card. My face would flush, and I’d mumble to the cashier, hoping the person behind me in line didn’t hear me. If only people could look past their judgment and see how an occasional treat soothed my heavy heart, easing my worries for just a moment. Everything was so hard — why did I have to feel guilty for the type of food that I chose at the grocery store?
Why Red States?
To succeed in red states, there are two core principles to keep in mind:
We must take seriously the amount of time, resources, and expertise required to beat back attacks on SNAP that are rooted in racism, classism, and misogyny. Advocates must be able to coordinate and sustain high-quality policymaker education, community and media engagement, and strategic coalition-building.
Defeat is not inevitable. No matter how big of a veto-proof majority a legislature may have or how many favors the bill sponsor can cash in, attacks on SNAP built upon misinformation and stereotypes about low-income people can be beaten. Just ask the savvy advocates in states like Alabama, Kentucky, Montana, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ohio – all of whom have recently successfully stopped harmful SNAP legislation from becoming law.
Why Consulting?
“Why consulting? Why not just be a conventional advocate and build a team at a 501(c)3 non-profit organization?”
This is one of the most common questions I receive from other anti-hunger advocates, especially when they are new to the field. Here’s what I tell them.
After 10 years of working in small, medium, and large non-profit organizations — first as a SNAP Outreach Coordinator and later as a Policy Director — I needed a change.
Why Administrative Advocacy?
At Rachel Cahill Consulting (RCC), my team and I support and train state-level anti-hunger advocates to make the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) the most accessible and equitable program it can be in every community. While we support both legislative and administrative advocacy campaigns, for most of the year our focus is administrative advocacy. Here’s why.
First, some definitions. Administrative advocacy is any effort to improve government policies or practices by directly or indirectly engaging with agency decision-makers outside of the legislative process. The core goal of administrative advocacy is to improve the implementation of existing policies and programs. Because what’s the point of great policy if it doesn’t get implemented well - or at all - in the real world?
Why Legislative Advocacy?
“Welcome to state legislative advocacy season, folks. In many states, this is the limited window of time (often just a few short months) when major state policy changes can happen - for better or for worse.
Unfortunately, there are anti-SNAP lobbying forces in state capitals who spend significant resources to convince states to adopt the most restrictive (and sometimes cruel) SNAP state options. Oftentimes these lobbyists manipulate state legislators who don’t actually know much about SNAP, but are convinced that there is a political upside to picking on the poor. When anti-SNAP bills are introduced, state SNAP advocates are often forced to drop other important work they are doing to stop these harmful provisions from making it into state law.