At age 77, Frances C. applied for SNAP (food stamp) benefits for the first time in her life.

Since 2002, the Coalition's SNAP (Food Stamp) Campaign has assisted more than 47,000 people in Philadelphia.

As an office secretary for decades, Frances C. had diligently saved money over the years, and when the time to came to retire, she knew Social Security would help her pay her bills.

But two events upended that stability. Her brother, who helped pay the mortgage on their house, lost his job. Last December, Frances was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, which required frequent doctor visits, costly medications and, now, dialysis.

“After I paid the bills—mortgage, insurance, gas and electric—there wasn’t enough left over to buy food with,” Frances says. “I started going to a food cupboard at my church. You have no choice sometimes.”

Frances was grateful for her church’s help, but because of her kidney disease, she still had to supplement the food she was given with fresh vegetables, fruit, proteins and low-sodium foods to meet her special dietary needs.

“When you go to the food cupboard, you're thankful for what they give you, but it’s not always something you can eat,” Frances says. “When I started dialysis, I couldn’t get what I needed from the food cupboard.”

Her sister told her about SNAP after seeing a flyer for the Coalition’s SNAP (Food Stamp) Hotline in her utility bill. Frances qualified for over $120 in monthly benefits, enough for her weekly trip to the grocery store.

“Since I got my benefits two months ago, I have not had to go to a food cupboard since,” she says. “It’s been a huge relief.”

The Coalition's SNAP Hotline (215-430-0556) is open Monday-Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.