Food Stamps
I thought a while before I share the posting on food stamps.
This is one of those things I actually have a little experience with, and
have a lot of thoughts about.
In 2005 I found myself without a job or income and facing
disability. My doctor had been telling me for a couple of years I should
quit work, but I didn't want to. Alas, things changed drastically all in
one day.
I went to DHS - which is another rant for another day - and
applied for food stamps and TennCare since I'd also lost my health insurance.
I had full custody of my two children, and at that point, was not
receivng ANY child support from their dad.
I got TennCare and food stamps in the amount of $293.00 per
month for three folks. Right then, the kids were still in school so they
automatically got free breakfast and free lunch. But stretching $293.00
for 30-32 days for three folks is not easy. Food stamps are supposedly
calculated at $1.00 per meal per person when there are no other
resources.
It was all I had to spend on food so it meant that there were no
quickie things - no microwave stuff and no junk food. I know how to cook,
how to cook for leftovers, and how to remake those into something new. I
can do wonders with a bag of dried beans and a sack of potatoes - and was glad
many times I'd grown up the way I had. We didn't eat out, but we never
missed a meal!
I was blessed in that my social security disability was
approved in less than 90 days - imagine that - even they thought I was have
been going to die soon. I only got the food stamps for the 6 months until
my SS check came - and that's the way the program was meant to be utilized - as
a tool to get from point A to point B without being hungry.
My points are: If you get food stamps and that is truly
how and what you feed your family - there is not money for tattoos, beer,
partying of any kind. If I see you in the store paying for food with an
EBT card and you are tatted up one side and down the other, I don't know if you
got those first, before some tragedy struck, or if you're lying to the system.
ANY kind of assistance is meant to be TEMPORARY - it's not for
you to live your whole life on because you lie or choose not to do better.
That's laziness and trifling and is not to be tolerated.
No comments:
Post a Comment