A Guy Critical (Male, Seattle, 46-55, Managerial) answered:

I resemble that remark.

I went on food stamps while I was homeless. Not the entire 7 years, but about 6 months during the last 2 years, while I was going to school and looking for a job. They literally saved my life.

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Well... I know one woman from my church who's on government assistance. She's a full-time student, graduating this month but two kids, each from different fathers. The assistance has made a huge difference in her life. She's very ADHD (I get tired if I am around her more than an hour), her eldest has asperger's and her younger child is suspected to have some form of attention deficit. This woman will get a good job and be better equipped to take care of herself and her kids. But... I don't really agree with much of her lifestyle, I think she buys things she doesn't need (I think if you have to get gov't assistance, you shouldn't go out partying with the cash you do have).

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A Creative (Female, 46-55, Who Cares?) answered:

Most people that I know that are using food stamps are also able to purchase beer and cigarettes. I would say that no I don't know anyone that has food stamps that would go hungry with out them. Food stamps should be for people that really need them and couldn't eat without them.

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A Thinker (Female, Dallas, 29-35, Who Cares?) answered:

Actually yes, I know of a few families that without this supplement they would not be able to provide adequate nutrition for their children and family. Food stamps are not meant to be able to meet all of your family's "food" needs, but to supplement what you can not afford.

I have never personally used them, but again I know those who have and it really is a great program. Of course with every gov't program there is abuse, but this is one defense against hunger in the U.S.

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An Intellectual Guy (Male, Houston, 22-25, Technical) answered:

My mom had the card for a few years when I was 10-13. It certainly put food on the table.

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A Thinker (Female, New York, 46-55, Retired) answered:

I have a friend who became homeless due to drug addiction. She received food stamps during this time as well as all during her treatment for addiction. This was a good thing for her and helped her to focus on recovery. Once she was on her feet and able to work, she no longer needed the food stamps.

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A Thinker (Female, 46-55) answered:

I know many individuals who receive disability benefits and if it were not for the small amount of monthly food stamps they would suffer from hunger. Of course there are those who abuse them but many more benefit. (that's the case with anything)

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A Life of the Party (Female, Indianapolis, 46-55, Administrative) answered:

I broke my leg in Dec and got fired from my job. I applied and got food stamps for 3 months and without them I would have starved. Then they cut them off cuz I started getting unemployment which was being contested because I made "too much money $275 a week"...Now I am back to eating mac and cheese for every meal and a coke for energy. And by the way, even on my crutches, I was given the "look" by the cashier and I gave it right back.....

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A Cool Mom (Female, 18-21, Administrative) answered:

I have never had or known any one whose had food stamps BUT i was on WIC for the first 3 months of my sons life.
I was out of a job and my s/o's paycheck alone just wasnt cuttin it.
After the first 3 months (they give you a 3 month supply at a time) i had found a job and no longer needed it, but if it wasnt for WIC, and all the free formula we would have been screwed since i cant breast feed.

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An Intellectual Guy (Male, 46-55, Self-Employed) answered:

I don't know. When I hit the skids I would get a box of food from a church every week and there where others there getting food that weren’t on food stamps either. If somewhere on food stamps I would say they deserved them because getting a box of food at a church was kind of weird.
On the other hand I have known and do know people that abuse the welfare system with aplomb. They get free housing, medical, dental, food stamps, job training, (which they have no intention of doing) just everything. And you know what? It’s all perfectly legal; learn how to work the system and you can suck the teat of mother America for the rest or your life too.

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A Father Figure (Male, New Orleans, 56-65, Transportation) answered:

several thousand of us from the greater New Orleans area benefited greatly after Katrina from the food stamp program, some left that night with just a hand full of clothes and food.
when some of the banks cut off the credit and debit cards they make the difference weather your kids got fed or not.

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A Guy Critical (Male, Milwaukee, 66 or older, Retired) answered:

yes I do know someone who benefited for a time... my spouse was a single parent and for her times were tough. The family attorney got her hooked up with food stamps and she was able to survive a number of years on them. Now here is the kicker... her ex failed to fulfill his obligation under court order to furnish child support way back then. Out of the blue, the state informed her that she had CS coming and immediately began forwarding monthly checks on her behalf, from the ex. After a couple of years, they stopped, but the ex continues to pay CS. Why would that happen? As part of recieving food stamps, the state kept track of all that were sent, and the agreement she signed was that should there be recompense for the ex's failure to pay, then that value would be taken from the CS.

A lot of this doesn't make much sense to me. Yes I can play it out the way it is done and see the justification for each move. I just would not have done it that way. (sigh)

rekkonball

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A Trendsetter (Female, 22-25, Teaching) answered:

My sister is a single mother with four children...she once owned a house with her then husband who left her for another women out of the blue right after her forth child was born. she was denied food stamps bc she made too much money. every month she has to chose between food and rent so every other month she is late on rent...its been this way for almost 3 years... she only makes 16-1700 a month, her ex pays child support when he feels like it. I bought a house for my sister (i once a had perfect credit) and it foreclosed bc she couldnt afford to both feed her kids and pay the morgage...I now am on disability (covered by no fault insurance-denied disability benefits) due to a drunk driver hitting me, and I am told I make too much money to recieve any assistance, before the accident I made 1300 a month and now I am only bringing home about 700 or so (still too much to receive food stamps)...mean while the guy next door to my mothers house is living off of section 8, food stamps, and has two brand new cars(for him and his wife) his 2 sons also a brand new car and a farely new used car...tell me how unfair this is!!!

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A Sweet Sarah (Female, 18-21, Retail) answered:

Yes. My family. There were times when we were waiting for our stamps to come in or be re-approved and all we had to eat was rice. My mother and I get 400 a month for me, her, and my step-dad.

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A Mr. Nice Guy (Male, St.Louis, 46-55) answered:

I don't know of food stamps, but my first step-fathers family used to get USDA commodities (i.e. Government cheese). There were 14 kids in their family.

The commodities came in "generic" wrappings; white labels with plain black lettering.

I don't know if they did or did not get food stamps, but I can tell you that if they didn't kill or catch something that they didn't eat. They were full-blooded Cherokee Indian (the mom and the dad grew-up on the reservation and left it when they got married) and were used to living off the land.

Being a "city-boy", I wasn't much accustom to eating everything that walked, crawled, or hadn't been dead for three days, so Grandma Asher opened allot of those "white labeled" cans for me.

It the 80's, when "generic" brands in the grocery store became all the rage... I had no interest in them at all. All I could see was those "white labeled" cans that Grandma Asher opened.

By the way, that Government cheese is some of the best that you'll ever eat. The white cheddar is aged for over 60 months...

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