@CoryBooker and the SNAP Challenge

Newark Mayor Cory Booker has decided to take the "SNAP Challenge" and purchase food with the money that would be the same as what he would get through the SNAP program.  This is a challenge I think more people should try.  But, there are few problems with how he is going about this.

The SNAP Program was never designed to be your only source of purchasing food.  SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.  Hence the S standing for supplemental.

sup·ple·men·tal

 [suhp-luh-men-tl]  Show IPA

adjective

1.

supplementary.

2.

nonscheduled (  def 2 ) .

3.

(of a pleading, an affidavit, etc.) added to furnish what is lacking or missing.

As you can see, supplemental is meant to add.  The entire point of the program is allow low-income people to take their food budget and allow it to purchase healthier foods.  Fresh fruit and vegetables are very expensive.  Another reason that the program allows you to buy seed and/or plants to grow your own.  While that is not always possible depending on where you live, but most people can at least grow herbs in their kitchens.  If you think about it, herbs are very expensive, it can be over $5 for some basil or chives.  Growing your own in your kitchen (which I have done) is a very good way to cut costs.

If you look at the poor in this country and what they in their households on average you will find:

Amenities in Poor Families with Children. Poor families with children have more conveniences and amenities than other poor families. In 2005, the median amenity score for poor families with children was 16. We examined all poor families with children with an amenity score of 16 to determine which items appeared most frequently in these homes.

• These homes typically had both air conditioning and a personal computer.
• For entertainment, they typically had cable or satellite TV, three color televisions, a DVD player, a VCR, and a video game system, such as an Xbox or Play Station.
• In the kitchen, they had a refrigerator, a stove and oven, a microwave, and an automatic coffee maker.
• Other amenities included a cell phone, a cordless phone, and a clothes washer.[17]

These conveniences may be considered representative of the living standards of the median or typical poor family with children in 2005. **

Now, if they internet access, some sort of television package, video games, and cell phones obviously additional funds exist to pay for these items.  While it is possible that the cell phone is something that comes without cost, the rest of these items will have some sort of monthly expense.

It is wonderful that people who have not had to experience what it is like to try to feed yourself on SNAP Benefits goes out and tries to do it.  But they are not being intellectually honest if all they are spending is just the SNAP Benefit money.  One of the tweets I saw coming from the Mayor said he wouldn't be able to afford coffee.  Why?  Now there is no way to know exactly how much the average is that poor families put into their grocery budgets of their own money, but the chances are it is at least something.  If they can afford an X-Box, cable TV, multiple televisions, they are likely able to afford a canister of coffee.  I don't drink coffee, so I have no idea how much it costs, but I am sure you can get one for about $10 and that would last you for a few weeks.  Again, I could be wrong about that, but the cans I have seen in the stores are a good size and I would think that one can lasts for more than a week.

While I do believe that there is much talk by certain quarters that people on food assistance shouldn't be buying certain types of foods and that talk should stop.  As I said the entire point of the program is to buy fresh foods, leaner cuts of meat, and all around healthier foods.  Lets be honest, many people sell their EBT cards for cash.  So unless they are not eating for the balance of the month, they have other sources of getting food for their families.  Even with the homeless that I have worked with over the years, they have sources of income that allow them to get food on their own besides EBT and the meals that are served to them through various programs.

I respect what Mayor Booker is trying to do, but his outcome is not going to be the outcome that most poor families deal with on a monthly basis.  In many ways it is a publicity stunt.  Which is sad to me, that people use the poor for such purposes.

I also would suggest that the Mayor learn how to cook things from scratch, as it saves a great deal of money.  A pound of flour can go a very long way if you know what to do with it.  A small roasted chicken can get a single person three to four meals if you know what you are doing, and chicken freezes beautifully.  The bones make great stock for stews and soups.

You see I have been very broke in my life.  To the point that I had to move in with friends for a short time.  I had to learn to make do with little money and learn to stretch that money until the next pay-day.  So I do know what it feels like to have a limited amount of money to spend on food.  I also know that it can be done if you are wise in what you purchase, cook from scratch, and have freezer bags to protect your leftovers.

The problems that we have in this country, such as what to do to help the poor, won't be solved unless we are honest about them.  Only using the amount given for the EBT program to eat for two weeks isn't solving the problem, nor is it being honest about how they really live.

**Please note 2005 is last year that this information has been made public.

Some Food (Stamps) for Thought

I have mentioned previously that I have become more actively involved with the community outreach programs that my church involves itself in. This being one of the reasons that I drive almost 20 miles to go to church. I have not been able to find another house of worship that I love as much as this one, so I just take the drive on Sunday's. To me it is worth it. The downside has been that I used that as an excuse for not being more involved in the projects. I have been determined to change that this year. Last week I went to government office that helps people with food stamp applications with one family. It was quite an experience.



Our church can only do so much to help with food to the people in need, because at the moment that need is so high. We have to find ways to stretch the food that we have available and to limit what we give out much more than we have in the past. Now, our church is not in the habit of telling people to apply for government programs; quite the opposite really. We try to help as many as we can with what we have available. For some families it is not enough and in order to get food for their kids they make the decision to apply for government aid. Another thing that we see quite often is that we have much greater need at the end of the month than at the beginning due to the fact that people who are receiving food stamps have simply run out of money before the month ends.


One of the things that makes me crazy is hyberole that isn't rooted in the facts. I see over and over again the accusations coming from the right that people who are on food benefits eat better than they do. This, for the most part, is a fallacy. The average amount that a single person recieves in this country is $98. That is $3.26 per day for food - another words $1.08 per meal. That doesn't even cover a can of soup. The average amount a family of four receives is $668 per month. That works out to $1.85 per meal per day. Most of us have been grocery shopping of late. You see for yourself how expensive food is becoming. A gallon of milk is almost $4 at my local Giant. A loaf of bread is about $3.

We have to deal with the fraud and the abuse that happens in the snap benefits programs across the country. We are spending millions that we should not be spending. But not everyone on this program is abusing it. Some really need it at the moment. Times are very tough for many around the country. They are barely scraping by. Some of these people don't realize that there are church programs out there to help them. Others can't get what they need simply through their churches and local charities that try and help as many as they can. During economic downturns the ability for the groups to collect the food and cash they need to help the needy diminishes.


One of the things that the conservative movement must do in this country is educate people on how conservative governments will actually benefit them in the long run. By making statements that these people eat like kings is not helping in that effort. At $1.85 per meal I hardly think they are eating filet mignon on a nightly basis. Chances are they are forgoing fresh vegetables altogether and eating lower amounts of protein then they should be.


The snap program should not be a way of life for people. It should only be a safety net for those needing a helping hand. Most people have needed a helping hand from time to time. We must cut the abuse out of the program so that money actually goes to the people who do need it while they are out of work or underemployed. We shouldn't be giving to college students so they have more money to party with.


I have said many times before language matters. When we talk about how people who are eating better than we do because of food stamps then we eat ourselves, we only make ourselves look silly. The numbers simply don't bear that out.


Household Size Maximum Food Stamp Allotment



1 $200


2 367


3 526


4 668


5 793


6 952


7 1,052


8 1,202


9 1,352


10 1,502


Each Additional Member +150

Household Size Maximum Net Monthly Income Limit



1 $903


2 1,215


3 1,526


4 1,838


5 2,150


6 2,461


7 2,773


8 3,085


9 3,397


10 3,709


Each Additional Member +312






These numbers are for people with no income at all. Since most people have some sort of income, these amounts will fall based on that income. If you receive social security, your benefits will fall. If you are collecting disability, your benefits will fall. If you are receiving aid from other organizations such as WIC your benefits will fall (and may disqualify you). You try feeding your family on $5 per day and see how it easy it is.


We need to find a way to help the people who need it without demonizing them because of the ones that abuse the system. So, if you have any food in pantry that has been sitting there for a month or so, bring it down to your local church or food bank. There is a family out there that will be able to use right away.


And no, I am not turning into a bleeding heart liberal, I just realize that the issue isn't as black and white as some make it sound.