Case Study
Leveraging Media Coverage to Raise Awareness of Reduction in SNAP Benefit Allotment
Food Bank for New York City
The Challenge
At the start of March 2023, American households received a stark reduction in the size of their benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The additional pandemic-era SNAP allotments was a crucial $95 or so that made a huge difference in the pockets of millions every month. Families across the country are already grappling with food insecurity — many for the very first time following the COVID-19 crisis — and the reduction in these crucial benefits only make things worse for those in need.
The Food Bank For New York City was challenged with raising visibility of this detrimental benefits reduction while highlighting the services they offer to support New Yorkers who are now feeling the pinch in their wallets.
Our Approach
As the media began covering this important issue, incoming press requests started flooding in. Fenton moved swiftly to secure as many interviews with Food Bank spokespeople and Food Bank clients alike to tell both the national story as well as the impacted person perspective. Fenton shepherded in-person media interviews at Food Bank’s warehouse in the Bronx and its Harlem-based kitchen.
Fenton steadfastly took this momentum to pitch national broadcast and racial justice reporters about the large-scale implications of this reduction in SNAP, offering Food Bank CEO and President, Leslie Gordon, to discuss what was at stake and what the organization was doing to confront food insecurity.
Impact
Fenton was able to staff in-person media interviews and secure placements in local New York City press including Gothamist, BronxNet, FOX 5 NY, New York Daily News, ABC 7 and PIX 11. We also secured national stories in prominent top-tier outlets like Mashable, Business Insider, TIME, BBC and Yahoo! Finance.
We also led the development of an op-ed co-authored by Leslie Gordon and CM Ayala for placement in New York Daily News. The op-ed highlights the ongoing SNAP cuts crisis and the need for developing new policy solutions to address hunger.
