When I reflect on my life, I treasure what a gift it was to learn how to cook at a young age.
Before I could even speak, I was in the kitchen on my mom’s hip — watching, discovering, tasting. These early experiences led to what would eventually become my career. But more important, they led to a fundamental understanding that food doesn’t only sustain life — it shapes it.
As a young adult, I moved from my small hometown in Upstate New York to Manhattan, where I lived in a run-down apartment making little to no money.
I didn’t have the budget to explore the incredible restaurants around me, nor could I afford or access many ingredients in the cookbooks I read. Knowing how to prepare and enjoy nutritious meals powered me through each day.
Food security is more than having something to eat: It’s the comfort of knowing that by not having to worry about food, you can focus on your future.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Since then, I’ve shared meals and taught all sorts of people how to cook simple, affordable and nutritious dishes.
For more than two decades — long before I decided to start my foundation, which educates families about cooking, strives to end childhood hunger and grants culinary scholarships to students — I’ve used my platform to support families struggling to put food on the table, because I believe that access to a nourishing meal is a right, not a privilege.
My work has never been about creating elaborate, expensive dishes. It’s about making home cooking easy so that others can nourish and inspire their families.
This is why I’ve joined No Kid Hungry, alongside more than 150 chefs and culinary professionals from every state in the nation, to urge Congress to protect children and their families from reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Congress’s slashing of SNAP threatens the health and well-being of American families at a time when millions are already struggling to keep up with the rising cost of food.
In 2023, an estimated 13.5% of households — 1 in 7 — faced food insecurity, according to the Agriculture Department.
The GOP’s budget reconciliation bill, passed by the House, would shrink the program’s funding by nearly $300 billion and take away food assistance from millions of low-income children.
SNAP is one of the most effective ways to ensure kids have enough to eat: 1 in 5 children in the United States participate in the program. This has a real impact on their future. Kids who receive SNAP do better in class and have a higher likelihood of graduating from high school. They’re also healthier than their counterparts who don’t have access to SNAP, in part because their families are less likely to have to sacrifice health care to pay for food or other necessities.
Beyond this, SNAP strengthens communities. When families spend their grocery benefits, those dollars are funneled directly back into local economies — supporting small businesses, local farmers and food producers.
My grandfather used to tell me that you don’t have to be rich to lead a rich life. No program better reflects this belief than one that ensures our most vulnerable neighbors have enough to eat. The ability to affordably prepare delicious, healthy meals got me through early challenges that could have otherwise held me back.
Congress must reject harmful cuts and changes to anti-hunger programs such as SNAP that help families across the nation.
It is America’s duty to continue feeding the future of our country.
Rachael Ray is a culinary TV personality, author and philanthropist.