Food Politics

I’m in the middle of this same issue with my mom. A few years ago, she would never have let me apply for food stamps for her, but after trying to live on Social Security alone, now she’s totally game. Plus, Wisconsin, where she lives, has a special set of checks that Seniors can use only in Farmers Markets in the summertime, which is sort of cool. As far as worrying about co-workers finding out — are they following you to the grocery store? Just don’t tell them, and if your employer gives you a hard time, ask for a raise so you won’t need food stamps!

I am sorry but if you are worried about being embarrassed by food assistance then you are not really hungry enough. It has been too long since you went a few days without food. It hasn’t been that long for me. I know what it feels like to go to bed hungry and know that there won’t be any food the next day either. If you are more worried about what your friends will think than getting food in your stomach then you probably don’t need the assistance.

We would worry less about what others think of us if we realized how seldom they do. Barrett, Ethel

Susan, this doesn’t have to be public knowledge you could keep this information privy and even shop at a different grocer. I’m guessing that your workplace doesn’t allow harassment even if it were to occur. If the info gets to them, I guess you’ll find out who your friends are!

If you are eligible for food stamp benefits, you should feel free to take them without embarrassment. The eligibility rules for SNAP are carefully negotiated in Congress. There is a “benefit reduction rate” so that people who have some resources and are just barely eligible receive only a small SNAP benefit (as low as $10 month). There are time limits and work requirements for able-bodied adults without children. There are fairly strict documentation rules. All these rules are hard on some people, but they greatly increase the political acceptability of the SNAP program with the voting public. If you are eligible under these tough rules, you are welcome to the food assistance.

Don’t increased applications for food stamps and other benefits increase the chances of such programs getting more federal funding? Seen in that light (especially in a time when federal funds could make a huge difference to states struggling to balance their budgets), participation is practically a public service! If anything, Susan’s employers should be humiliated at their failure to pay their workers a living wage. (Then again, Wal*Mart isn’t ashamed to encourage their workers to apply for Medicaid for lack of employer-sponsored health insurance… I digress.)

In San Francisco food stamps are on a debit style card, the people behind you in line at the grocery store wouldn’t even know what you’re swiping.

As for employers ridiculing her – I agree that it is her employers who should be embarrassed.

In todays economy the use of food stamps or other forms of assistance may be needed just to make ends meet.

We are blessed to have that as an option for those who may need it and qualify.

We never know when that person may be us.

Employers hopefully will consider these issues as a part of their own public/corporate image.
“Do they provide a work environment & benefits package that will attract and retain a quality workforce?”

As for the worker in todays economy, just maintaining employment is a plus.
If you qualify for a program that will help you or family, use it.

Not that it makes a difference, but the auto makers and banks owners have far more options than the average person and yet they are availing themselves of supplements to get through. One hopes they are saving quality jobs with that money.

The average person who qualifies for government help is attempting “just get by” until they can get back on their feet and should never feel bad about getting help.

Should they be humiliating? NO. Are they? Depends on the person. It always surprises me what other people find embarrassing.

This is a bit of a tangent but follow me here… This summer, my cat began peeing on my carpet. I tried everything I could think of to make her stop. Vet visits, special litter, you name it. For a month I thought she HAD stopped, until I opened my closet and found the entire floor soaked in cat pee. Finally, I moved to a place with hard wood floors.

The other day I had a conversation with my mom and she told me she didn’t like sharing “embarrassing” details about her life even with her closest friends. She told me her best friend had asked her why I was moving and she struggled to come up with an answer more respectable than “the cat wouldn’t stop peeing on the floor.” To her, it’s embarrassing – to me it’s a funny story to tell people. Furthermore, it amazes me the lengths my mom will go to to keep her “facade” intact. So would she find food stamps humiliating? Quite possibly. And it’s very sad that she or anyone else would find a government nutrition assistance program humiliating, and that the negative emotion might keep some people from obtaining the help they need.

If you are used to and/or have been able to pay for your food on your own and now you cannot it is presumably natural to feel a bit embarrassed to need assistance.

As a product of the welfare system (a child raised on welfare), I say its better to survive than let a little embarrassment stand in the way of feeding you (and your family, if applicable). I know, still to this day, I become overwhelmed with sadness, which eventually turns to anger when I go without food for extended periods of time.

Millions of people go through what you are going though, some situations worse, some better. If you have been told you qualify for this assistance take it now and don’t worry about being proud. If you delay the assistance, it may not be there later. Times are tough and more and more people are turning to the government for assistance.

And like the other poster mentioned, if your boss ridicules or judges you for this, maybe he should give you a raise

Yes, you should be very embarrased that you are mooching off of the hard-working people. You need to try harder and not depend on other people’s money.

The humiliation should be held by Susan’s employer, for not paying a living wage.

I agree, food stamps should not be humiliating! However, I get extremely upset when families come into where I work(so I can stay off SNAP) and all they purchase is soda, chips, candy and energy drinks! How is this helping them? They are the first families in line to recieve the free handouts because they do not have enough to purchase food. This is our tax dollars being used by these families that need help, I would seriously think that a revision in eligible foods should be made! Energy drinks, candy and chips and soda are NOT healthy choices, and when I work full time and go to college full time and can not afford to buy soda or chips or candy, there is something wrong with the government if they continue these actions allowing this abuse!!

When a person receives SNAP (formerly food stamps), s/he receives a debit card. That means that purchasing food with SNAP is just like purchasing food with a credit or debit card. So I don’t imagine there is any stigma.

Also, the minimum benefit is now $16.00

i will bet the president gets more then 16.00 to feed his family! i am 72 years old, worked all my life and believe me we seniors deserve more then 16.00 in food stamps. after i pay rent and bills i have nothing left. have you been to the store lately? the banks got a break, when do we get one, now they tell us no raise in our social security, damn whats next? i know why seniors are taking drugs, so they can forget they are hungry!!!

As a volunteer for the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, I can attest to the fact that food stamps have the potential to be humiliating. In order to actually obtain food stamps in Philadelphia, you must prove to the county assistant that you buy your own food. I’m assuming that a similar policy exists elsewhere too. The way that Philadelphia recommends you accomplish this interesting proof is through having your neighbor or close friend write a letter testifying to the fact that you buy your own food. This in itself has the potential to be embarrassing to food stamp applicants. Not only do they have to bother their friends for a letter that would otherwise seem silly, they have to do so because they can’t afford to pay for food.
Today, I registered a man who was concerned about having to obtain this letter for the exact reasons stated above. There was absolutely nothing I could do for him, which was upsetting to both of us.
So yes, while it may be possible to remain anonymous while actually spending food stamps, it definitely isn’t when it comes to obtaining them.
However, I don’t beleive that this type of embarrassment is necessarily a bad thing. The government should not be handing out money to those who don’t REALLY need it. The fact that a person is willing to put up with this embarrassment almost acts as a test as to whether they are really willing to work hard to get themselves back on their feet, which is what food stamps are supposed to enable.
It’s an interesting debate and I would like to see some suggestions on effective policy changes that would streamline the food stamp application process, but allows it to keep its purpose as a temporary assistance meant to help people get out of tough financial situations.

I would like to apologize for providing false information in my previous post. It is not required for EVERYONE to obtain the letter that I mentioned. That is onlt necessary for applicants who live with people who aren’t applying for food stamps in the same application (are not a part of the applicant’s “food stamp houseold.”) Nonetheless, concern still exists about the food stamp stigma, and possible embarassment that may be faced. However, on the contrary to my previous post, I beleive that the government (from what I have observed) has done a good job (!) of mitagating this humiliation by replacing actual physical “food stamps” with an Electronic Benefits Card, changing the name of the food stamp program to SNAP, and making the process of obtaining foodstamps (as cumbersome as it is) a strict interaction between the applicant and their government (no direct assistance from the applicants employer is required). If only the government could translate this type of reform onto the actual application process, we would find quite a few more receiving the help they deserve from the SNAP program.