after attending an inspiring legislative briefing held by United Way about North Carolina's state budget and advocacy, I decided to take a break and check Facebook. normally I don't think too much into people's statuses but one in particular made me stop. this person chose to comment on food stamps, and not in a positive light.....and over 85 people "liked" this status. I wish I could say that I didn't let this status and the people who choose to "like" get to me, but in all honesty, I got ridiculously mad. I successfully fulfilled every stereotype there is about redheads being hot headed and fireballs in this moment.
I know the topics of food stamps and hunger are not comfortable things to talk about in our society. I also know that I haven't shared a lot about what I do for living on this blog beyond that I work for a food bank, but I have to take a stance on this issue. it's one that I encounter and advocate for every single day, and will for the rest of my life. this post are entirely my own thoughts, opinons, and experiences.
my job at the food bank is to travel to food pantries within our service area to assist clients at the pantry in applying for food stamps. I also work on advocating for more government assistance and sharing the stories I hear. I damn proud of my job, the organization I work for, and especially the people I work with.
these are the statistics I face everyday:
-369,600 people who are food insecure in our service area alone. that's 18.7% of the population that is food insecure.
-of that number, 35% are people who do NOT qualify for government assistance based on income.
-our state is ranked 6th in the nation for food hardship, and the specific town I work in is 3rd in the nation for food hardship.
-more than 28% of the food banks in our state have had to turn people away and at least 31% have reduced quantities of food despite increased need.
-hunger has no face. it covers all demographics from seniors to children to latinos to caucasians. it is not just the malnourished child from africa.
-they cannot go out and just get a job. the number of unemployed workers per job vacancy is 3 to 1. sidenote: my brother has a masters, graduated with high honors and is still underemployed. it's not as easy as you think.
-46% of unemployed workers have been out of work for more than 26 weeks. this means they no longer receive unemployment, and likely have no income.
-the annual income for a family of four in the state I live in is $23,021. this is currently $4,000 lower than it was before the great recession.
-the fraud rate for food stamps is less than 10%, but yet many choose to focus on that 10%. the food stamp application is 8 pages back to back, and all information has to be verified and the client interviewed before approval is even considered.
-food stamps is considered a SUPPLEMENTAL income. research has proven that food stamps only buys enough food to last for 2 and 1/2 weeks.
-the average benefit amount for seniors is $16. these are the same people who have been paying into this system their whole life.
many of the statistics above increase if you were to just look at children, especially children of color.
all of these statistics are unacceptable.
this is what I face everyday when I go out to work in the pantries. this is the reality I see. while at a pantry today, a women came up to speak with me. she looked a bit familiar, and once she started to talk I realized I had helped her apply in November. this women turned to be and said, "I cannot thank you enough for helping me receive food stamps. because of you, I am not longer starving." that women why I do what I do. she is the exact reason why I refuse to remain silent. these people are just trying to survive. they are some of the hardest working individuals I have ever encountered in my life. none of them want to be at a food pantry, and absolutely none of them are proud of this. they constantly remind of how lucky I truly am. I had the privilege to have obtained a college degree from a private university. I am lucky to be able to live off of $400 a month. I am lucky to be able to choose whether or not I want to apply to law school. I had the privilege to be raised by a hard working single mother who worked her ass off to support my brothers and myself. hunger in the United States is public health issue, and it's high time that we recognize it as one.
hunger is everywhere. it is not just in the state I live in.
1 in 6 Americans struggles to obtain the food they need. America is not immune to the program of hunger. Government assistance is necessary. No one deserves to go hungry. Please take the time to hear the stories of those who are hungry before you take the time to judge their actions.
I know the topics of food stamps and hunger are not comfortable things to talk about in our society. I also know that I haven't shared a lot about what I do for living on this blog beyond that I work for a food bank, but I have to take a stance on this issue. it's one that I encounter and advocate for every single day, and will for the rest of my life. this post are entirely my own thoughts, opinons, and experiences.
my job at the food bank is to travel to food pantries within our service area to assist clients at the pantry in applying for food stamps. I also work on advocating for more government assistance and sharing the stories I hear. I damn proud of my job, the organization I work for, and especially the people I work with.
these are the statistics I face everyday:
-369,600 people who are food insecure in our service area alone. that's 18.7% of the population that is food insecure.
-of that number, 35% are people who do NOT qualify for government assistance based on income.
-our state is ranked 6th in the nation for food hardship, and the specific town I work in is 3rd in the nation for food hardship.
-more than 28% of the food banks in our state have had to turn people away and at least 31% have reduced quantities of food despite increased need.
-hunger has no face. it covers all demographics from seniors to children to latinos to caucasians. it is not just the malnourished child from africa.
-they cannot go out and just get a job. the number of unemployed workers per job vacancy is 3 to 1. sidenote: my brother has a masters, graduated with high honors and is still underemployed. it's not as easy as you think.
-46% of unemployed workers have been out of work for more than 26 weeks. this means they no longer receive unemployment, and likely have no income.
-the annual income for a family of four in the state I live in is $23,021. this is currently $4,000 lower than it was before the great recession.
-the fraud rate for food stamps is less than 10%, but yet many choose to focus on that 10%. the food stamp application is 8 pages back to back, and all information has to be verified and the client interviewed before approval is even considered.
-food stamps is considered a SUPPLEMENTAL income. research has proven that food stamps only buys enough food to last for 2 and 1/2 weeks.
-the average benefit amount for seniors is $16. these are the same people who have been paying into this system their whole life.
many of the statistics above increase if you were to just look at children, especially children of color.
all of these statistics are unacceptable.
this is what I face everyday when I go out to work in the pantries. this is the reality I see. while at a pantry today, a women came up to speak with me. she looked a bit familiar, and once she started to talk I realized I had helped her apply in November. this women turned to be and said, "I cannot thank you enough for helping me receive food stamps. because of you, I am not longer starving." that women why I do what I do. she is the exact reason why I refuse to remain silent. these people are just trying to survive. they are some of the hardest working individuals I have ever encountered in my life. none of them want to be at a food pantry, and absolutely none of them are proud of this. they constantly remind of how lucky I truly am. I had the privilege to have obtained a college degree from a private university. I am lucky to be able to live off of $400 a month. I am lucky to be able to choose whether or not I want to apply to law school. I had the privilege to be raised by a hard working single mother who worked her ass off to support my brothers and myself. hunger in the United States is public health issue, and it's high time that we recognize it as one.
hunger is everywhere. it is not just in the state I live in.
1 in 6 Americans struggles to obtain the food they need. America is not immune to the program of hunger. Government assistance is necessary. No one deserves to go hungry. Please take the time to hear the stories of those who are hungry before you take the time to judge their actions.
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| both of theses are clients I've worked with this year. |
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