UnidosUS Affiliate Latino Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Alliance explains how they enroll the community in SNAP.
By Stephanie Presch, Content Specialist, UnidosUS
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps 40 million Americans—including 10 million Latinos—put food on the table every day. Helping eligible families get enrolled in SNAP is a crucial component of the work that UnidosUS Affiliates do as part of the Comprando Rico y Sano program, funded by the Walmart Foundation, which educates and empowers our community to make healthy food choices.
One of the UnidosUS Affiliates that’s part of the Comprando Rico y Sano program is Latino Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Alliance (LAMDA), an Affiliate based in Chicago, Illinois. Enrolling eligible families in SNAP is a key part of LAMDA’s work.
Constantina Mizis, LAMDA’s executive director, explains that the Latino population that LAMDA serves is predominantly low-income, making between $12,000 and $17,000 a year, and is 65 or older. As a result, making sure that families get enough food on the table is not the only concern LAMDA has—far from it.
“For other organizations, SNAP is putting food on the table. For LAMDA, SNAP is the first step to prevent dementia,” Mizis says.