F**king read this thread. It’s important. The part about moving in with a partner and not having enough money to contribute to rent, but being able to offer up food stamps really cut straight into me. I HAVE BEEN EXACTLY THERE MYSELF.
The last time I was on food stamps, due to some clerical error I got the card but they didn’t put any benefits on it. No matter how long I stayed on the phone, I couldn’t get anyone to fix the problem. So for 6 months I had to get by on lentils and rice until, suddenly, I got word that my card had been activated and all 6 months were loaded on it at once; I had $900 on my SNAP card.
I doubt this program have sent me 6 months of Harvest Boxes. And what the fuck would I do with them if they did? Even with canned food, half of it would spoil before I could get to it.
When my family was on WIC in the 80s, this is how it worked. We picked up our monthly box of non-perishable food, all of it with plain white labels with black text. The best thing they gave us was canned beef stew. The worst was the powdered milk. Baking with powdered milk is one thing, but when it’s the only milk you get to DRINK it is quickly clear that powdered milk want meant to be drunk. It tastes less nasty ice cold and with all foam/froth removed, btw. There is no way that the food in that box was, on average, as healthy as what my mom would have bought if she’d just had extra grocery money each month.
I’m amazed when I go to the store and see all the WIC-approved foods you can buy now. Like, um, real milk. Why the fuck would we go BACKWARDS? When putting money on cards is so easy, and I guarantee you way more cost-effective than “harvest boxes.”
Thoughtfulfangirling 