Illinois Senate Further Burdens Poor Residents

In a move to further depress and hinder Illinois food stamps applicants, the Illinois Senate Committee has approved a motion to require SNAP benefit recipients to have their photo printed on their EBT Cards.

According the Champaign/Urbana News Gazette, The Illinois Senate has decided to approve the measure because of a belief that some Illinois food stamp recipients are trading their benefits for money, drugs, and other illegal uses.

The shift from paper food stamps to EBT cards (Illinois LINK Cards) helped to alleviate some of the stigma attached to receiving public aid. With this new photo requirement, the Illinois Senate Committee has managed to pile on even more stigma than paper food stamps ever caused.

There have been several news articles written about this issue since the motion passed mid march, the following is a listing of some of those articles:

Progressive Illinois - Bill would make it harder to use food stamps

Central Illinois News Gazette - Bill on photos for LINK cards clears committee

Alestlelive.com - Photo ID requirement on food stamps causes more problems than solutions

San Diego Union Tribune Columnist Calls Cal Fresh a Fraud

San Diego Union-Tribune columnist, Logan Jenkins has called the Cal Fresh program a fraud - not necessarily the program itself, but he says the name is fraudulent.

Cal Fresh is the new name for California's food stamp (SNAP Benefit) program - the state made the official change sometime in 2010. According to Jenkins, "Cal Fresh" is not a befitting name, because it conjures up images of happy families, eating healthy food.

The reality of the typical American diet is anything and everything but "healthy," and most people who are receiving food stamps are not exactly "happy" to be in their situation

I have to agree with Logan Jenkins, food stamps is a food assistance program for people who have fallen on hard times. The program should not be equated in any way to a "healthy lifestyle" choice; in a way, it might even be irresponsible for the folks up in Sacramento to allude to the program as such.

Read Logan Jenkins' original article here: CalFresh? New Name for Food Stamps is a Fraud

Georgia Food Pantry: Greater MissionWorks, Inc.

Greater MissionWorks, Inc.

705 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd., NW
Atlanta, GA 30318

Atlanta Emergency Food Assistance #: (404) 881-6700

Description: This agency offers a food pantry and food stamp screening.
Service hours: 24 hour voice mail available; callers must leave their name and telephone number in order to make an appointment
Eligibility: low-income individuals or families, assist food stamps recipients, assist clients in subsidized housing
Intake: telephone, appointment
Documents Needed: Proof of residence or lease, does not need proof of legal status
Fees/Cost: All Services are Free of Charge
Counties Served: Butts, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, Rockdale

Food Stamps Kept New York Residents from Slipping Into Poverty

According to an Article in the New York Times, The Food Stamp program has kept nearly 250,000 New Yorkers from slipping into poverty during the height of the recession.

Also touted for keeping residents out of poverty, were economic stimulus programs and initiatives aimed at sustaining family incomes.

With all of the latest talk about recipient food stamp fraud, and shady store owners allowing fraud to exist in their stores, it is good to know that this particular antipoverty program is actually helping people of this country.

You can check out the original article right here: Food Stamp and Tax Aid Kept Poverty Rate in Check.

A Unique Atlanta Food Pantry

The Lee-Stelzer Heritage Research Museum, Inc. operates a food pantry in the Atlanta metropolitan area that is designed for families with young children under the age of 5.

The food pantry has existed for 31 years, and it operates under the guidance of Dr. Lee Walker, a local humanitarian who offers this service out of the goodness of her heart.

Dr. Walker supports her food pantry by charging donations of non-perishable food items at her Heritage Museum which is located at 372 Sisson Avenue NE, inside of the Atlanta perimeter.

If you live in Atlanta, and you need food assistance, please do not hesitate to contact (404) 373-6327 to find out if you qualify. Good Luck To You!

I support
Lee-Stelzer Heritage Research Museum Inc

on

Charity Blossom

San Diego Food Stamp Applicants Treated Like Criminals

According to an account reported in the San Diego City Times, some San Diego Food Stamp applicants are forced to undergo an actual at home "investigation" before they can be approved for SNAP benefits.

A story is told form the prospective of a mother who recently applied; apparently, she was put through a dehumanizing experience as investigators went through her house and questioned her about her personal habits.

They inquired about the amount of toothbrushes she had in her home, and they flipped over an air mattress and went through personal documents that had been lying underneath. Next, they proceeded to actually go through her dirty clothes hamper to make sure she wasn't committing food stamp fraud.

The investigators never smiled at her or the children, they were stand-offish, and one of them acted as though he did not believe her when he questioned her about the amount of toothbrushes in her bathroom - can you believe that? This kind of horrible treatment is reminiscent of an SS search.

The woman states that all of this went on in front of her three young girls, they were terrified, and she was mortified and completely humiliated. The woman says she put her dignity aside because her pantry was bare and her children needed to eat...

You can read the full story here: San Diego's Food Stamp Program Needs Fixing

Getting Rid of Assets Counting for Nebraska Food Stamps

According to the Lincoln Journal Star, Omaha Senators Tanya Cook and Jeremy Nordquist would like to take some of the hassle out of applying for Nebraska food stamps.

If Nebraska Bill LB543 passes, it would mean that people who apply for food stamps in Nebraska will not have to list their assets on their application. Approximately 36 other states have already realized that just because a person owns a car, it doesn't mean that they can simply go out and sell it for food.

Proponents of LB543 do not offer a convincing argument, their main one being that SNAP applicants with three houses and a couple of Mercedes Benz cars might be tempted to apply if they have little or no income.

First of all...yeah, right...because most people who are on food stamps have three houses and drive a Mercedes. And second, if a couple with a nice house and a nice car falls down on their luck (yes, it DOES happen), they should be able to apply for SNAP benefits just like anyone else.

A big benefit of the LB543 Bill is the fact that even though eliminating the asset test would bring in approximately 1800 new households into the system, it would not cost the state any extra money because of a 50% reduction in administration costs the bill would bring.

Just as Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbia stated, some people have the perception that people who are getting welfare in many cases are living better than the people who are paying taxes. In his opinion, this is what tends to frustrate the general public about food stamp/welfare recipients.

The fact of the matter is that most people who are receiving SNAP benefits are hard-working people who have fallen on hard times. Hopefully, LB543 passes and those 1800 Nebraska food stamp applicants will soon gain access to proper nutrition.

- Source -

Nebraska JournalStar.com. "Bill to Eliminate Counting Asset for Food Stamps Applicants Advances."

California C4Yourself

C4Yourself is a website where you can apply for California food stamps (SNAP Benefits), Cash Assistance, and Medi-Cal. You can also check your food stamp and cash account balances as well.

In order to use the site, you will need to register, and although most California counties participate in the program, there are still quite a few counties that have a different public assistance application process.

The following counties DO NOT participate in the C4Yourself program (Since most counties in California participate, it is much easier to list those that do not):

Alameda
Contra Costa
Fresno
Los Angeles
Orange
Placer
Sacramento
San Diego
San Francisco
San Luis Obispo
San Mateo
Santa Barbara
Santa Clara
Santa Cruz
Solano
Sonoma
Tulare
Ventura
Yolo

According to the C4Yourself Web Site, it is much easier to apply for and access benefit information on their site than traditional government administered sites.

How to Apply for Missouri Food Stamps

The Missouri Department of Social Services is in charge of the food stamp program therein. In order to apply for Missouri Food Stamps, you need to visit your local Missouri DSS office.

To make things a little easier for you, you can download a Missouri Food Stamp Application and simply fill it out before you make your office visit.

When I contacted a local representative in the Adiar County DSS office, I was told, very politely, that once you drop the application off, a representative will contact you to complete the process over the telephone.

If you are experiencing a really rough time right now, you should contact your local office and inquire about expedited food stamps - in the meantime, you can also learn about about Food Assistance Programs, and find out what may be available in your area. Perhaps a local food bank or food pantry can keep you sustained until your benefits begin, or until you find the financial resources to support yourself. Likewise, to make sure that your children are being fed, research Children's Food Assistance Programs that may be available in your local area.

On the Missouri Department of Social Services web site, you will find a wealth of information about getting and keeping food stamp benefits (SNAP Benefits).

Good Luck to You