Look Who's Using Food Stamps Now

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This article and some of the comments are so hateful and appalling. I'm a full-time student attempting to pay my OWN rent and my OWN bills off of savings and three part-time jobs. Yeah, full time school and THREE part time jobs. I finally sucked it up and got food stamps. Otherwise, I wouldn't be eating this month. I am aware abuse happens, but you cannot assume that all students/interns have the support of their parents-- especially in this economy. I certainly don't, and guess what? It's fucking hard.

And what katt42 said is exactly right--the "hipsers" who are supposedly abusing their benefits still only get a certain amount in food stamps per month, so if they want to blow it on expensive or seemingly unneccessary items, then fine. It's not like they are going to get more money when their monthly allowance runs out.

I'd also like to point out that while it's a nice thought to say that everyone should use their EBT cards to buy only fresh and unprepared foods, the program is created so that it can include homeless people-- i.e., people without a means to cook food and who really can only eat pre-packaged crap. Also, if you're a mother of 4 trying to work, why WOULDN'T you get the already prepared stuff? This is why the government can only create so many restrictions on what can and cannot be purchased with food stamps-- everyone has different needs. People have always complained about this, but now it's going the other way around: the problem used to be parents buying their kids unhealthy foods with food stamps, and now young people are buying food that's TOO healthy? Ridiculous.

I also see NOTHING wrong with using my food stamps at Trader Joe's considering it's way cheaper than my regular supermarket. And yes, I want access to healthier, wholesome foods. I don't buy lobster, no, but I will not limit myself to ramen just because it's a rite of passage for college students. I work, I pay taxes, and I will use my benefits as I see fit, thank you very much. Stop being so judgemental and realize that everyone is suffering in this economy.

One more thing-- in order to receive food stamps as a student, you have to work at least 20 hours per week, proven with pay stubs.

As for the food that people buy with their food stamps, it is up to them if they want to waste their allotted amount of benefits on "higher quality" foods. When the benefits run out for the month, they are screwed.

I just received my food stamp (EBT) card today. I should have applied for benefits over a year ago, but didn't want to. I thought I could make it on my own. I was in the AmeriCorps program for 12 months and did not take advantage of food stamps then, because I could scrape by. I've learned how to coupon, I stopped eating out (unless someone else was paying), we saved our pennies to buy a freezer so we could stock up when sales come around. Now that I am out of the AmeriCorps (which only pays subsistence), I thought I would be a shoe in for a job. I sure was mistaken. I've been unemployed for 3 months, my husband's job cut back so far that at one point we were lucky if he worked 15 hours a week.

I have sold anything and everything of value to try to make rent and pay other bills. I keep asking myself how did this happen to me? I'm 30 years old, have a college education and come from a solid middle class background. My family are engineers, finance people, house wives. What happened to me?

Please try not to judge every person you see who is receiving food stamps. I will continue to only shop sales and use coupons on everything, as we only get $244 a month to buy groceries for two adults. In this economy every person is finding themselves in situations they never expected to be in.

It is devastating to feel so hopeless that you can't even afford to buy food or keep a roof over your head when you have done everything in your power to make life better.

not sure why we are even commenting on this. did these people pay taxes? how do you like to be in line when a woman with baby in the belly dressed better than you, with the daddy by the door and a flock of other kids, is paying with EBT and WIC? I do not. That is a problem we should be angry about and protest.

What does that have to do with this ? What a Pregnant woman can't receive food stamp benefits ? And it's WIC that takes forever to process, Not EBT . That's why they basically have lines for WIC and EBT . Why don't you just state what you really wanted to . That being that you have a problem with people (Or Certain People) on welfare ! Why not just admit you think they should be limited in what they can purchase with those benefits and dress appropriate of there situation . ( That being a Poor Welfare Recipient wearing "Hand-me-downs" !)Why not just admit you think that because you might be working supporting yourself or living off your saving that you and those like you should be the only ones able to purchase various food items because your better then the poor welfare recipient ! Climb down off your high horse and return to reality shithead .

I work at a grocery store. We can't have lines for WIC and EBT. It's plainly stated in store policy. I see abuse of WIC and foodstamps everyday. In this economy I have seen some of our previously cash paying customers now on foodstamps. Most are mortified. They are however a minority. The majority are chronic users. I have gotten to know many of these people. Many have talked about how they are scamming the system. Boyfriend not "technically" living in household. He has a good job but "if I can get foodstamps- why not". Many are healthy young woman who are just having children because, as I was told by one young woman, "I wouldn't have gotten pregnant again if it wasn't for WIC, but I love babies". I think that the food stamp program does need an over haul. It should only allow certain healthy non-prepared foods. I see people buying shrimp, lobster, steamed crab, and other expensive items on a regular basis.

hmmm, and you know all this personal info how?

ESP? and welcome.

See comments from stupid people like this is the reason why "Certain" People in positions of authority try doing away with these public programs . Food stamp benefits are for those lacking the ability for support themselves temporarily . Meaning your unable to find a life sustaining source of employment and need help to get by. Not what this asshole is doing with his benefits ! To brag about refusing to eat ramen soups, then state that you have rabbit for dinner is stupid ! It makes it retarded to state the above in public .

Who makes roasted rabbit? That sounds made up. "What's something a corrupt King in a Bugs Bunny would eat! Hossenfeffer!"

"Every day the same thing: variety. I want hossenfeffer!"

We really shouldn't make a big deal about Interns getting Food Stamps. We should focus on able bodied male New Yorkers living in Housing, driving Lincoln Navigators, selling crack and dope. They're the one's scamming the system.

Can we get a racial breakdown of recipients???

I work at a grocery store in area that isn't very diverse, but I would say that it's abused without regard to ethnicity.

ohhhh poor angry trolls (the same ones that complain poor people on welfare buy nothing but soda and potatoe chis)let this custom made bit of bias posting scratch that hairy knot on your foreheads. uuuuhhh howzat fellah, hhhooooowwwss that.... yeah... never forget my life is your business...

So, they are supposed to use the money for Twinkies and potato chips? Trader Joe's usually has food that is often way cheaper, and Whole Foods can be cheaper for certain items. Maybe they're choosing to go to those stores because they are a little more educated about nutrition.

I've compared prices at grocery stores, and healthy items (nuts, fruit, vegetables) are often cheaper than supermarket prices.

I was on food stamps for the first time in 2007 since the recession of the 80s, and for the period of time I was on them I was very grateful for the assistance, and at the freedom to be able to choose healthy items.

I've also found Whole Foods to be very patient when accepting coupons.

I guess I don't really see the problem with this, and I would do it too if I qualified. Sure, there are probably some scamming the system, but there are probably a lot of other people, who don't come from money.

Even if they do come from money, so what? Companies and execs basically steal millions (nay, billions?) of taxpayer dollars in the form of tax-free bonds, politicians regularly swipe our money to buy themselves fancy crap or dole out to their buddies in the private sector. Plus, there are the thousands of people (half of which are Hasids) who basically live off of welfare and have no interest in getting off of it.

Eventually, these hipsters will make money and start paying into the system while plenty of people never will get "off the dole" and never intend to. My family was on food stamps when I was really little, but by the time I was 3, my parents were doing financially better, and we no longer needed to. My parents were never proud of it, but they were also too proud to beg their parents for some extra money, and I believe my parents have worked plenty of years to pay back into the system to help others who might use it.

HIPSTERS! and their roasted rabbits.

ramen and other processed foods are full of sodium.

I'd rather have them buy wholesome fresh food than ramen leading to HT and other health problems to be covered by Medicaid. I bought a lot of stuff before I was unemployed and I ain't selling my bullets.

What exactly is wrong with the "living off ramen" thing? Most people have done it at one time or another. Call me strange, but I would rather do that than the "sponging off the government" thing.

Ramen noodles are useless calories, there is no nutritional value to them and they highly processed and laden with sodium. Depending on ramen noodles will send that person to the hospital for medication to tame the high blood pressure. Besides if the health care bill passes then they will just be sponging off the government's medical assistance for all the shit that they ate.

people rob & steal from the govt all the time, live in govt provided housing, taking food stamps, etc., while making their $$ working jobs off the books.

Are they CEO-rich? No. But making $100+ a day under the table and getting govt provided housing/food/medical isn't such a bad deal; you can hoard a lot of cash when you aren't paying taxes or for necessities.

You might be surprised how many "poor" folks buy their apartments and houses in all-cash deals. This takes place at all levels; there are small business owners who are multi-millionaires but only report a small percentage of what they make. Not nearly enough are caught by the IRS. They get rich and retire at 50 while suckers like you and I work for salaries, pay taxes and hope our 401ks hold up if we ever retire.

What a load of horseshit.

It couldn't have been a black woman buying all that delicious food because you don't sound to upset. A call girl perhaps saving her money?

I recently stood behind a girl at the supermarket using an EBT card to buy $120 worth of groceries.

She was wearing $300 leather Ugg boots, Seven jeans, a tiffany necklace, a Gucci bag and a North Face jacket. Priorities much?

Really infuriating.

Maybe she bought all those things while she was working and subsequently lost her job? Maybe the clothing and jewelry were a gift?

Sell your Uggs on ebay then.

Make sacrifices instead of asking others to.

I believe in modesty, especially in those types of situations.

Just personally, I would never display all of my "garb" at once, no matter how hard I work to earn my own money or whether it was a gift. So, if I were using government money to buy groceries, I'd be ashamed to wear $1000+ worth of goods while doing so.

so one should wear some sort of "EBT outfit" to go to the store when they're paying with food stamps? Fuck off, you sound realllllly stupid. Maybe next time I use my AMEX i will wear a top hat, monocle, and use a cane.

Huh?

Who wrote this? Karl Rove?

Seriously. People receiving food stamps should be encouraged to cook good, healthy meals for themselves instead of eating ramen and other sodium and preservative laden garbage. Just because you're poor doesn't mean you should be eating tree bark and raw sewage.

Irresponsibly written nonsense.

Ah anything that could possibly have a self-responsibility skew is blown off as "written by Karl Rove."

Will liberals ever stop using Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rove as scapegoats?

There's no partisan slant here: Public welfare should not be abused.

Food stamps are seen as supplemental, but it seems there's a faction of recipients who could go without it.

"Will liberals ever stop using Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rove as scapegoats?"

Hey now. Those goats scaped themselves.

The tone of this article is infuriating. It seems like Gothamist is just playing to its assholish commenters lately.

I do agree that it is a rather dumb article. I understand that Gothamist is not the NYRB. But this article is a little, well, stupid. No offense Jaya. We all have a learning curve in our profession.

It would be really weird if the NYRB summarized Salon.com articles.

Where does it say anything about their parents being wealthy?

I guess it's better if food stamps are used for junk food and soda instead of actual healthy food - at least no stereotypes will be called into question.

What, you didn't know that all college graduates who eat healthy food have rich parents? It's true--9 out of 10 Gothamist commenters will tell you so. None of these young people have student loan debt, and all are just too lazy to find living-wage jobs. Also, the economy is fine, and that 10% employment rate is nothing but hipsters bent on stealing your tax dollars.

Amazing. Usually the disgusting attitude displayed in the previous comets is reserved for those "lazy" do-nothing folks. Now we have people are actually working -- despite it being called an internship or federal volunteer service -- and the mouth breathers still come out and make fools of themselves. In case you aren't aware, internships often involve a full workload and provide valuable experience and means of acquiring what one would call a 'proper' job. Yet we have people now spitting on that! Gothamist never ceases to amaze me. Not everyone who has an internship possess parents with trust funds and shit. Next you guys will be insulting people who work part-time for minimum wage and can't find work beyond that for having food stamps.

Hey... if you envy people in the position to qualify for food stamps, then quit your jobs or do what it takes to join them.

This is a bit of a half-assed article. While it sucks that people can technically get food stamps even if their parents are loaded, the AmeriCorps example is completely legal and encouraged by the government. AmeriCorps members don't get "paid" in the traditional sense, but they receive stamps to feed themselves and housing to...house themselves. They are also doing a great service to our country.

While abusing food stamps is certainly unseemly, this article does a disservice to the actual problem that exists for young professionals trying to enter the workforce. For the first time in record keeping history, the unemployment rate for those with 4-year degrees or higher has passed the 4 percent mark. Keep in mind that in the United States, only one in four has a bachelor’s degree or higher. Add to this the increasingly high costs of higher education, and the debt associated with those costs, and there exists a very serious problem in this country for recent graduates trying to enter the workforce. We should not make light of this situation.

SOYLENT GREEN IS HIPSTERS!!!

Yes! That is why I found a pair of Keds in my Soylent Green.

Really. I suppose Gothmamist will run another story about how well and good those new camera networks in every home are. Sure Big Brother's watching you, but there's a young a and hip and urban spin to it that will surely make it the latest craze!

Hey assholes, there are actual poor people that need this you know. If you can't afford to be a "foodie" while interning for that ad firm or whatever the fuck, then move the fuck back to Ohio. Food stamps are meant for people that need the help.

No poor person or family that needs food stamps is being denied because another low-income person, who just happens to be a hipster, is getting food stamps.

I should have mentioned that the real tragedy here is not that low income hipsters buy healthy foods with food stamps.

The real tragedy is that lots of low income people, hipsters and non-hipsters alike, aren't aware that they qualify for food stamps and are thus going hungry. If there's any outrage at all it should be directed toward making sure low income people get the food they need.

To qualify for food stamps, you must have less than $2000 in your bank! BUT if you have $100,000 in your pension plan, 401K, or IRA, that's ok. So this punishes low-income people who save for a rainy day and punished low-income people who don't have pension plans, company sponsored 401Ks, etc.

Hipsters using food stamps to finance their pretentious diets...that's quite possibly the douchiest thing I've ever heard (helped significantly by the quotes).

A lot of these creeps scammed the Social Security System as well.

Mumsy and Father don't send enough money to make sure junior's tum-tum is full of roasted rabbit num-nums?

everyone is suffering in this economy.

' "I'm sort of a foodie, and I'm not going to do the 'living off ramen' thing"—he then mentions a dinner of roasted rabbit with butter, tarragon and sweet potatoes that he made using his food stamp money. "It's not a thing people feel ashamed of, at least not around here," he said, "It feels like a necessity right now." '

What a fucking scum bag.

This article is a poorly researched and reported piece of crap designed to inflame outrage. For example, rabbit is relatively inexpensive, sweet potatoes are dirt cheap and butter and tarragon aren't all that expensive per meal. The same is true for the thai curry (ooh, exotic, so it must be expensive) meal that they mentioned. Thai curry is street food and is cheap as anything.

Perhaps you are right and, if you are, nice pickup. My scum bag comment was more directed at the last part of the comment reading "it's not a thing people feel ashamed of, at least around here."

but wait till one sees a foodstamp recipient buy steak and lobster.

that's me! not true. anyway the most often bought meat paid by EBT was cheap ground beef.

Oh but they do! I work in a grocery store and we know when foodstamp reload day is. I'm disgusted to know that these people are buying shrimp, crab, and yes, even lobster,I work and I live on ground beef and chicken. I've threatened many times to quite so I can afford to eat like they do. I've recently seen more people who used to be paying customers now using food stamps and in this economy it's understandable. I also see first hand everyday the abuse by people who buy unhealthy expensive processed food instead of buying a roast on sale and putting some potatoes and carrots with it. We have nicknamed one young woman as "the queen of foodstamps". She is healthy, single, about 25 and has 4 kids. She doesn't work and after buying $150 worth of pre-made subs, pizza, frozen dinners and steamed shrimp, she still has over $300 left on her balance. This is just plain wrong. The system should be overhauled and function more like the WIC program (don't get me started on that one) where only healthy foods not prepared food can be bought.

Making under 14k because you're doing an internship at a fashion or marketing firm doesn't mean you're poor and need assistance. It means you're stupid and should starve or eat ramen.

No it means you're desperate for a job, so you'll take an internship, despite the crappy pay.