Hungry for Change

When I think of the recent economic crisis I envision foreclosed houses or stock losses, but an issue just as prevalent is the rising need for food stamps. In a New York Times article entitled “Food Stamp Use Soars, and Stigma Fades,” the authors highlight the fact that food programs are more common than most people might think. It includes a staggering statistic too: food welfare programs “feed one in eight Americans and one in four children.” This in a time when we are producing so much food we don’t know what to do with it! Now that is ironic.

It is also saddening to see that “food stamps reach about two-thirds of those eligible.” So who uses this system? Janet Poppendieck claims that it is mostly poor people who qualify for these services, and even then, to be classified as poor a household must not be able to spend a third of its income on food. It used to be the case that emergency food services were mostly used by single males, but now many women and children are finding that they too do not have the ability to adequately feed themselves. Also, an increasing number of unemployed workers are turning to food programs to fill the gap their wages would have covered, which is exactly why these programs were created- to fill the gap, not to depend on for survival.

Poppendieck’s perspective is one of a “social constructionist” in which the blame is not put on the individual for their plight, but on society as a whole for its environment. I believe this is true to some extent because food stamp guidelines are not based on a standard of living. She uses the example that government assistance is given to those who cannot buy food, but not those who cannot pay for heat, so people allocate their money accordingly. However, I think the food stamp system could stand a change. To begin with, government funding should only be allowed to be used on fundamental nutrition (i.e. milk, meat, bread, eggs). It is a waste for malnourished people to provide junk food meals to their families. Also, after these readings it seems that the criteria for food stamps should be reevaluated as many who are hungry to not have access to food because they are not “qualified.”

Is fear of abuse of the food stamp system a valid reason for such restrictive guidelines?

What can we change in society to help people get food without directly giving it to them? (e.g. increased minimum wage)