Different things came to mind. I felt a little embarrassed about some of my splurging at the grocery store (blueberries from S. America in the winter). I thought about the irony of so much hunger and so much waste in the U.S. I also wondered if the food stamp program assumes, like the CNN guy, that some people require a 100% subsidy for their food purchases.
hugry for change, great question. I can only answer from my perspective here in Dallas where almost all of our food comes from the food bank, a part of the national 2nd Harvest Food Banks across the country. The food we "buy" there at .14 per pound is donated food from retailers and manufacturing groups. We give it away, the companies get a tax break and our consumers get a budget boost.
Food Stamps (SNAP) of course operate just like cash. The benefit is that every food stamp dollar goes directly into the coffers of grocery stores and grocery suppliers. So, every food stamp dollar circulates more directly in a local, state and national economy. At the end of the day, I expect the food stamp program is better for the entire economy and if there was adequate coverage so that our job was helping people sign up for this benefit instead of buying food from the food bank, that would be a net gain in many ways--cash out our door, cash into the economy, better food selections for consumers, etc. The Food Stamp program is a good one and very efficient, especially with the onset of the electonic benefit cards.
In a related story across the page: Nadya Suleman, the single mother of newborn octuplets, is using the Internet to help support her family of 14 children. She's started a Web site seeking donations.Suleman, 33, had the octuplets through fertility treatments, despite already having six young children and no clear source of income...prominently displayed on the Web site is a prompt for visitors to make a donation, noting that the "proud mother of 14" accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and PayPal.
6 comments:
Different things came to mind. I felt a little embarrassed about some of my splurging at the grocery store (blueberries from S. America in the winter). I thought about the irony of so much hunger and so much waste in the U.S. I also wondered if the food stamp program assumes, like the CNN guy, that some people require a 100% subsidy for their food purchases.
I'd probably eat alot of scrambled eggs, beans, rice and ramen noodles.
Oh and invest in some vitamins too.
Frank:
Your post reminded me of a quote.
"Where were you when affluencia struck?"
Does it make more sense for people to receive food through charitable food pantries, or through Food Stamps? Is one more economical than the other?
I ask because I wonder if, rather than expand food stamps, it would make more sense for the stimulus package to support food banks and food pantries.
Any idea how much can be done for $1 invested in Food Stamps compared to charitable pantries?
hugry for change, great question. I can only answer from my perspective here in Dallas where almost all of our food comes from the food bank, a part of the national 2nd Harvest Food Banks across the country. The food we "buy" there at .14 per pound is donated food from retailers and manufacturing groups. We give it away, the companies get a tax break and our consumers get a budget boost.
Food Stamps (SNAP) of course operate just like cash. The benefit is that every food stamp dollar goes directly into the coffers of grocery stores and grocery suppliers. So, every food stamp dollar circulates more directly in a local, state and national economy. At the end of the day, I expect the food stamp program is better for the entire economy and if there was adequate coverage so that our job was helping people sign up for this benefit instead of buying food from the food bank, that would be a net gain in many ways--cash out our door, cash into the economy, better food selections for consumers, etc. The Food Stamp program is a good one and very efficient, especially with the onset of the electonic benefit cards.
In a related story across the page:
Nadya Suleman, the single mother of newborn octuplets, is using the Internet to help support her family of 14 children. She's started a Web site seeking donations.Suleman, 33, had the octuplets through fertility treatments, despite already having six young children and no clear source of income...prominently displayed on the Web site is a prompt for visitors to make a donation, noting that the "proud mother of 14" accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and PayPal.
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