As 2025 draws to a close, many of us will be seeking time to rest, spend time with loved ones, celebrate, and give thanks. After a few long months of inconsistency and uncertainty, this holiday season is bringing a much needed dose of camaraderie, care, and hope for many. One of the most common ways of celebrating this time of year is by dining together. There is something inherently celebratory and warm about gathering around a table with a delicious spread of your favorite foods to feast upon all together. Whether this food is homecooked, store bought, traditional or not, it is undeniable that many of our traditions are based on some form of breaking bread. And as we come together to share a meal this year, it would be remiss to not also reflect on those who are not afforded the same opportunity. 

Survivors face a multitude of fears, barriers, and day-to-day responsibilities before, during, and after a domestic violence (DV) relationship. Finding enough time in the day to work, eat, sleep, play, and whatever other necessities is challenging for anyone. It becomes even more complicated, however, when one is also in an abusive relationship: Will dirty dishes set my partner off? How am I going to get a full night’s sleep so I can make it to work on time when my partner is abusing me? Where can I go for help where I will be safe and how am I going to manage on my own? Every survivor has a unique story wrought with various individual barriers, and this scratches just the surface of the countless thoughts survivors must weigh. 

One factor that survivors may have to consider is food security. While the holidays may come with certain expectations in terms of celebration and tradition that exacerbate these issues, food insecurity is impacting survivors all year round. Food security refers to the access by people at all times to enough food for a healthy and active life. Food insecurity, or lack of access to food, has the greatest repercussions for the most vulnerable populations–one of which may include survivors of domestic violence. While research is still expanding, a number of studies have been done examining the relationship between food insecurity and intimate partner violence. This link may seem obvious to anyone who has experienced DV or worked in related fields before, but research suggests three main ways these two issues are connected: restricted access to finances, environmental factors, and reliance on financial assistance. 

The first link, restricted access to finances, refers to financial/economic abuse. Financial abuse can look vastly different in each relationship and is when one partner controls and/or restricts access to finances by the other partner. When a survivor loses access to their money or when their spending is being monitored and controlled, survivors may also then lose the ability to freely obtain food–a key component of food security. Maybe all money is being completely withheld, maybe a partner who causes harm has spent it all elsewhere, or maybe they are being restricted from leaving the house or using the internet in order to buy groceries. All of these are examples of how food insecurity may stem from financial abuse.

The second link, environmental factors, refers to how an environment that leads to food insecurity may also increase the rate of violence. The strongest example of this is poverty. If someone is experiencing poverty, they are faced with an increased risk of both food insecurity and of violence. If a family is unable to meet their basic needs, that stress may manifest into violence in the relationships. These environmental barriers may also limit access to resources available elsewhere like counseling to support survivors in domestic violence situations or food pantries to help supplement their food access.

Finally, we know that survivors who escape domestic violence may disproportionately rely on financial assistance and minimum wage jobs for survival. Many survivors escape with nothing, some unable to return safely to collect their belongings and others forced to travel light while figuring out their next steps. If a survivor accesses emergency shelter services, there is usually a limit on how much they can bring with them due to space constraints. If a survivor previously had a job, they may have to leave it in their new circumstances due to distance or lack of transport, and if they have left behind their computer, or can no longer afford phone bills, it has suddenly become ten times harder to find a new form of income. With that, survivors are facing financial constraints that prevent food security and instead lead to a reliance for many–at least temporarily–on financial assistance and public benefits. 

This disproportionate reliance on financial assistance raises additional concerns, especially following the pausing of SNAP benefits during the recent government shut down. SNAP benefits are just one of the programs that survivors may be disproportionately reliant on. They could also be depending on WIC, school meals, section 8 or emergency housing–and while SNAP benefits have since been resumed, the fear of losing that essential support continues to shadow many families and survivors. Public Law 119-21, signed by President Trump in July of this year and popularly referred to as “One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA),” is set to reduce SNAP funding specifically by approximately $186 billion while also introducing the strictest work requirements this program has seen. These cuts also directly impact supplemental programs like WIC. In November, these benefits were lost or cut for less than two weeks but already had profound effects on the survivors we see at Turning Point, and for families across the country. If these benefits were to be lost or reduced for good, there is a greater chance for many more to go hungry, and thus to find themselves in or unable to escape a domestic violence situation.

While these changes are set to roll out in phases for the next few years, there are many uncertainties still to come. As we see these cuts come and how they affect survivors here in McHenry County, and across the country, we acknowledge that the fear of losing these benefits is a monumental stressor on its own. December is, in addition to the centerpiece of the holiday season, also Universal Human Rights month. The 25th article in of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of oneself and their family–including food. Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected in their relationships and no person deserves to go hungry.

At Turning Point, we continue to operate two in-house pantries for our clients to access as needed. If you are interested in supporting these pantries, we accept in kind donations of nonperishable foods, personal hygiene items, and household cleaning and paper products by appointment. Please visit our website or reach out for more information!

Credits
Tiffany Hutson is the Outreach & Prevention Coordinator at Turning Point Domestic Violence Services. She is a Licensed Social Worker who graduated with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Social Work at Aurora University. Tiffany has been working with teens for most of her career and has a background in school and policy social work. She is dedicated to empowering youth to foster and maintain healthy relationships and healthy selves.

Editor
Mallory Breutzmann, Event & Fundraising Coordinator