To much of the world, it was Monday. To Mario Batali, it was Day Four.
The chef, his wife and their two teenage sons are eating for a week on the equivalent of a food stamp budget in protest of potential cuts pending in Congress to the benefit program used by more than 46 million Americans. That’s $31 per person for the week, or about $1.48 per meal each.
Goodbye restaurants, free nibbles on his talk show “The Chew,” and all the luxe offerings at Eataly, the high-end New York City market he co-owns. Hello Trader Joe’s, Jack’s Dollar Store, Gristedes and Western Beef, a low-cost supermarket chain.
“I’m [expletive deleted] starving,” said Batali, who’s on the board of the food relief agency Food Bank for New York City, which issued the challenge to celeb pals like Batali and anybody else who wants to know what it’s like.
Batali said his first reaction when asked to join was a big “gulp,” then he realized while shopping for Friday’s start of the challenge that with a little forethought it wouldn’t be all that brutal.
One lesson: Forget organic and anything pesticide- or hormone-free.
So what’s on the Batali menu through Thursday? Lentil chili with onion, water and cumin was one dinner that came with a complaint from his wife when he bought two bags of lentils instead of one, until he convinced her the extra cost would mean cheap eats for the next day.
“Rice and beans is in my lunch every day,” Batali said. “We got a bag of mini gala apples for $3. We bought a pork shoulder roast for $8 and got 2½ meals out of it. I got a whole chicken for $5, but it was spoiled so I had to return it and got a $7 chicken instead. They were out of $5 chickens.”
When you dress out at 350, no amount of food is going to fill your empty soul.
You are cold.
He may be cold but he isn’t wrong.I’ve seen Batali’s gut on TV and wondered when he’d be on a stretcher or with Paula Deen on the diabetes express.That said,food stamps were designed as a supplement(hence the SNAP name)not as a full replacement for all nutrition.
Many people are existing on food stamps and nothing else except food pantries.
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Sadly true.The fact that we have ANY hunger in the richest country in the world is shameful-let alone the fact the problem is worse than ever.
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That’s also the reason many choose prepared foods – the ingredients to make a lasagna are expensive but you can a whole entre for a meal rather than purchase the ingredients separately. However, the store prepared foods are high in sodium, sugars and fats not to mention that most have very little good food value. People on food subsidies (EBT/SNAP) purchase a lot of pastas and cereals to help make the budget stretch. Fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive. Those who rely upon the EBT/SNAP entirely without the cash or access to food banks or a garden endure hardships which include skipping meals, eating less nutritional foods, and increased health issues. I wish they would create a program similar to WIC limiting purchases to healthy foods – cut out the soda, chips, cakes, salty/ sugary foods and encourage more healthy choices. The brand named companies would probably balk at the idea they were no longer selling Pepsi, etc. with government food subsidy funds.
WIC is not without its problems either.For one you can have a LOT higher income on WIC ($27K plus with one kid)than you can on food stamps.Also,I’ve worked as a rack jobber in a grocery store.Example:a $4 loaf of bread has a tag saying WIC approved.The $1.50 loaf next to it is also WIC eligible but no tag.If you are in a hurry and don’t want problems at the checkout,you’ll grab the $4 loaf since you think that is all that is allowed.Legal but sneaky.I applaud Michelle Obama and trying to make FS changes but big ag will probably get their way,helped by Palin wasting our tax dollars.All of your suggestions are great.
Or they could get a job.
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true but not always possible
You replied to a longer post that I don’t see here-did you remove it?
Having been 450 myself, I can assure you, I’ll take my soul over yours any day. :-)
when you use the term ‘dress out’ you immediately lose credibility with most of the population, including me.
No doubt. Stupid definition even for a mean spirit. “Dress out” refers to the removing of the organs and inner parts of an animal, usually big game, before it contaminates the meat. It also makes the animal easier to drag out of the woods. No one “dresses out” at any weight because a dress out weight is net after removal of interior parts and the live weight is gross weight.
For what it is worth, if a deer has a live weight of 300 lbs the dress out weight is aound 200. Typically, 1/3rd live weight.
IF the facts stated are correct how can these people afford to shop at the gas stations and smoke? They’re getting cash somewhere beyond the food stamps. But, for a family of 4 the kids are getting two meals at the schools daily, so the real amount is a third more than stated. Not all the facts are given in these articles nor all the available resources mentioned. Kind of odd.
I also enjoy assuming that all the poor are scum. That way when I demand that no tax dollar is spent on social programs, I know I’m right and that the undeserving will get the message and go get a job. Thanks for pointing out the facts.
There’s far too much self-righteousness here. Thanks for pointing that out!
The adults skip a meal or 2 for themselves so that they can get their children something special or because they don’t have the gas to get to a grocery store. Walk a mile in their shoes like this guy is.
This guy isn’t walking a mile in anyone’s shoes. He is playacting for attention for a few days then going back to his lavish lifestyle. At the end of his “ordeal” he can say he knows what its like at dinner parties. That’s all.
In any event, that’s way more ‘n you’ve done.
How in heck do you know the poverty I grew up in? What arrogance!!
Who cares that you’ve grown up in poverty. According to your logic, your parents must have been slackers. I do understand how you would understand arrogance too.
I called no one a slacker. I responded to Lilac’s comment about “walking in anothers shoes”. I still say she/he, and apparently you, have no idea what that means.
Will you people grow up! You’re acting like kids on the playground at recess!
If I had a emoticon for it I’d stick out my tongue. ;-)
Like this :-P
You all are acting like (!)’s.
Yea, but my dad could totally beat up your dad :)
Yeah…..welllll……I’m goin home to tell on you! lol
Never met an under weight parent or child who gets food stamps and welfare. they get discounted rent, I pay almost a months wage, free medical where I have to pay over $200.00 plus co-pay & deductible, they pay maybe a dollar for a script where I have to pay $25,00 or more,they get parents night out, I haven’t had one in 12 years, free dental where I have to pay 100% out of pocket. If they have 2 kids they get almost as much money as I get at one of my jobs.
My kids get a peanut butter sandwich 95% of the time and maybe some crackers for their lunch, pickles if there are any left over from last summers garden and maybe some apple or grape jelly to put on their crackers, if there’s any left from last falls canning. Applesauce if there’s any left from last fall.
We 5 of us can live on $50,00 a week grocery allotment so can everyone elses especially those who don’t work.
What is this “parents night out”you blithely refer to?And if this is such an easy lifestyle then feel free to sign up for it.I’m sure once you quit your job,the line of parents to fill it will go around the block.Stop whining.
I’m entitled to whine I’m paying for their bills.
There was (is) a “night out of the house” where you can get
a ride to the mall or where ever to take a break from
the house. A neighbor of my parents got a trip out once a
month and free baby sitter. Can’t tell you more than
that since I never used the program
Never heard of it and I’m sure with the visceral hatred of the poor reeking from the Blaine House,it would’ve been brought up before now if such a thing existed.
I know the woman didn’t drive maybe that was reserved for the very unfortunate.
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Probably the same place that lots of liberals-leftists get to fantasize about what it must be like to live on food stamps.
Love me, Love Me, Love me, I’m a liberal. ~~~~~ Phil Ochs
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I don’t despise people who get benefits, I despise the ones who abuse the program and we are the ones paying for it……and they’re being allowed to do it. I don’t have alot of time on my hands either……I see it at my job!
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Are personal anecdotes contempt for recipients or pride in yourself over having made it on very little without having to sell your soul to the government for your sustenance?
That you don’t recognize the difference shows you don’t know prides value.
Why does it bother you that ones personal success does not come at the hand of the government?
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I did not say that YOU had no pride. I was commenting on your seeming inability to see it in others. The poster is a prime example as you accused his/her pride in his success of being contempt for someone else.
As for your soul, again, I was talking Not of Yours but the the generic food stamp recipient who is indeed making that trade-off. Not contempt. Experience.
Compassion is not the purview of the left but of all of us. I am a teach them to fish person from way back…. otherwise you teach dependence. I think that is rather contemptible.
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Great post.Conservatives love to see suffering so they can splash the lowlifes as they whiz past in their luxury cars.Good for you for helping those who need it.You will be rewarded.
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Too bad this poster didn’t reply to what I actually posted. She made up a bunch of stuff and responded to that.
That said. You are right. Great post!!
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Right. Follow the thread. Read my post, look at your answer. No relation…. except you thought is was all about you.
They have all this free time to cast stones since they aren’t working although they’d like you to believe they work 18 hours a day,pay 125% of their income in unfair taxes and cure cancer in their sleep.
That really doesn’t sound like a healthful diet. Peanut butter is great, but 95% of the time? Crackers and jelly?
For their school lunches. I work 2 jobs I can only do what I can
do. If I wasn’t paying for welfare maybe they’d get bologna or something
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Yes we eat it, buy it cook it. Sometimes if
luck is with us we get a moose or deer. If
we don’t bag one we revert back to peanut butter.
If a loved one isn’t in need of cancer meds,
then we buy other food..
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Thank you, our big bread winner is the sick one but we’re making do and hoping things will be better soon so we can shelf the peanut butter.
I would forget about the bologna. Really. Get some advice on healthy eating.
Not saying I was going to feed them bologna
$50,000 a week?! Holy schmokes…my family lives off less than $7,000.00 a year in groceries…and there are about 5 of us.
A fifty dollars a week
I don’t want to walk in their shoes. I have also witnessed the recipients of food stamps smoking, drinking alcohol, etc. When you are in dire straights you cut out non essentials. It may sound cruel and selfish but when you ask for aid there should be some strings attached.
I do not smoke and don’t drink. I don’t eat out of gas stations. I’m working, part-time job is the only thing job I could find, even with a college degree. I get $51. in food stamps and know that it’s only suppose to last a part of the month. It’s suppose to supplement an existing income. Please don’t lump me or others with those that take advantage. It only succeeds to minimize those of us that are living the best that we can. I know for my next review, I will lose those because I make minimum wage….
Puhhleese. This obese man is on a board of a food relief agency, it would be more of a news story if he said he was doing okay on a food stamp budget. And btw, were his kids getting free breakfast and lunch at school?
I very much doubt his kids go to a school that serves free or reduced price meals. Let’s get real here.
He’s using his celebrity status for a good cause; good for him:)
Using his celeb status to create more celeb status.
A shopping trip, well planned, with $124 can buy a lot.
Don’t go to Hannaford with it.
Here in Belfast, there is Hannaford, and there are higher-priced “convenience” stores. What alternative would you suggest?
Avoid “convenience” stores. The over priced crap they sell isn’t really food anyway. It’s sugar, salt and beer.
Walmart has food…..
You are right about that.There are 3 groceries near me and Hannaford is more expensive across the board-and not by a penny or two either.
In the town I live in there is only a Hannaford. The closest thing that is not a Hannaford is 20 miles away.
How would I avoid a Hannaford and still keep my gas bill down to a reasonable amount?
How about if I don’t have a reliable means of transportation?
I don’t really know the answer to your question. Friends, relatives, gang shopping may play a role. Weekend family excursions to Bangor like lots of people do. I can only answer what I would do in that situation knowing my own families needs.
$124 per week properly employed however is a lot of money.
That said, too often a high food bill can happen because of compulsive shopping. You don’t have to be on food stamps to be one of those.
Food stamps are a suppliment and not there for the entire month, call any worker at DHHS and they will tell you that… Suppliment defined “something added to complete a thing, supply a deficiency, or reinforce or extend a whole.”
“SNAP” Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
I’d like to get $500 a month “supplemental.”
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Because $500 is not “supplemental”….that’s a nice amount to feed most any family for a month.
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I am a single person and my food bill is over $100 a week and I don’t eat expensive cuts of meat or fish.
I need to take you shopping dude.
I agree, I eat for 100 bucks for 2 weeks…..
Yes please take me shopping.
I have Type II Diabetes and High Cholesterol so no cheap prepackaged foods (packed with added sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup, salt and oils. HFCS have been shown to cause the body to increase it’s production of Triglycerides as well as increased body fat), nothing with artificial sweeteners (they’ve been shown to trick the body into producing insulin when not needed), only whole grains cereals and pasta’s, nothing enriched (enriched grain causes a fast sugar spike followed by an insulin crash) and no meat, poultry or diary products (the bodies metabolism of animal food causes the body to become acidic and adds Cholesterol to the body among other things).
Pretty common health problems for an American on an American diet.
I chose to try to control my health issues with diet and exercise unlike most Americans who try to control it thru pills. So far I have defeated Diabetes (my blood glucose levels are almost back to normal in less than 2 weeks on this diet) and I will find out in a month or so if I have beaten High Cholesterol.
Before my change in diet I only bought lean chicken and fish and vegetables, either frozen or fresh and no snack type items but I have a healthy appetite so small meals do not serve me well.
You say that, and I believe you. But, my wife and I are a home of two, and we don’t spend that much per week (not more than 3/4’s that), unless we go out to eat. Brand names? Pre-packaged food? Not sure?
Dont know what you are eating but I can eat easily for 100 bucks every 2 weeks…..
Do you have children? If so how many? Do you have a good paying job? If you do, you are some of the lucky folks that don’t have to worry about the next meal how many hours can I get so I can buy some meat for supper. I have been living on $19. a week, Thank the stars that it is just me….wouldn’t know what I had to do if I had to take care of an elderly parent. $51. a month is my “supplemental” want to live on that?
This is the point I was trying to make. The elderly, the handicapped, the people who work and are eligible for help are the ones getting screwed over. In my line of work, I see the druggies and the ones who just sit home doing nothing, reaping all the benefits. And they are usually the ones who are lying. The honest people are the ones getting screwed over. There are too many elderly in my area, who get only $10 a month. Don’t tell me all these elderly get the same amount of social security (as each other) a month and still only qualify for a ‘supplemental” amount of $10……while the druggie, who is bringing in SSI can get over $3, 4, 5 HUNDRED dollars a month in food stamps…..for one or 2 people.
And, yes, I have children. And, yes, while they were growing up I received benefits…..but I also worked, full time….and I am a single parent, cuz my ex-husband was abusive to me and our kids. None of my kids receive any kind of welfare now and neither do I. I worked honestly over the years and paid back into the system that helped me and my kids. There are just tooooooo many out there who don’t and are able. It’s just that the system is allowing them to be unaccountable to themselves and their families. I know of families who have moved to Maine just to get welfare, because, they say it’s easier to get it here!!
The biggest problem is making Richard’s Wild Irish Rose wine go with everything. Life’s a beach.
How do you think senior citizens feel when all they get is $10 a month……..while the druggies, with no dependants get $300, $400, $500 a month?! I know, I see it all the time where I work. Totally disgusts me!
It sounds to me like a broken system. Couldn’t agree more.
He is just a spoiled whiner.
I also have a family of four, with a tween boy and a teen girl. They actually really like lentil vegetable soup, unlike Mrs Batali. Eggs are also a great source of protein and usually under $1.50 per dozen. I can get bananas, onions, potatoes, carrots, roma tomatoes and cabbage for under a dollar per pound regular price. I can make 100% whole grain wheat bread hot and fresh from the oven for fifty cents per loaf. The regular price for milk is about $3.50 per gallon. A 3 pound freshly cooked rotisserie chicken is $5.99 at Sam’s Club, good for 2 meals. I watch for sales on meat. This week I can get whole boneless pork loin, beef brisket, and live crawfish for $1.49/pound, chicken breast quarters and pork chops for $1/pound. Round out the shopping list with seasonal produce and store brand products.
Recap, per person per day:
1 quart milk, under $1
1/2 lb meat, under $1
1 lb fruit, under $1
1 lb veggies, under $1
1/2 loaf bread, 25 cents
Total, under $4.25 per day (under $30 per week). You call that starving? What are you doing wrong?
We have to support more efforts to teach people how to shop and cook the way you do. The Maine extension service has some good info on this online.
It’s a state agency that’s quietly been doing this kind of work since the depression or before.
I’m guessing they’re dealing with cutbacks and have fewer people to go out and have classes than they used to.
Do you walk back and forth to the supermarket? What are you using to cook your food? Shouldn’t these costs be figured in too?
No Because those costs aren’t paid by food stamps anyway.
Your kids are lucky and good for you for making your own bread.YUM!I miss my grandmother’s oatmeal bread.It’s been 30+ years.(sigh)
Do you send your teen and tween to school with packed lunches or does the school do that work for you?
I have an issue with your prices and meal sizes. I have a 12 yo boy who can eat a whole chicken almost by himself, no way you get twop meals out of it. I see no items for breakfast or lunch.
Chicken is over $2 a pound, more like $3 or $4.
1 pound of fruit is about 2 apples.
I have yet to see a loaf of bread for 50 cents
And yes if you are eating a starvation diet with the amount of food you show as a daily amount. No way it comes near 1500 calories a day, which is needed for a healthy diet especially for the kids.
read her post again. :)
She did say she bakes her own bread.50 cents would not be unreasonable for ingredients there.Your other numbers are probably right.
I could get three meals if you make a chicken stew.
Doesn’t Sam’s Club require a membership? What if you live far away from a Sam’s Club?
Yes, it does. They have a few days a year when they have a coupon that allows non members to shop there, but they come with a fee–15%, I think. Much of the rural part of Maine is a long way from them or any of the warehouse store clubs (like BJ’s).
At first I thought 31 dollars a week for 4 people, it would be hard to live on that then I relized it was 31 per person per week. Thats 124 per week. Heck I spend half that for a family of 3 and we are hearty eaters. It takes thrifty shopping since I am on a budget. I wish I had 124 a week to spend on food.
Turn baseball fields into community garden plots.
They wouldn’t show up to take care of them.
NOt a single fact listed there …
illegals have never been eligible for Mainecare. Never.
HA! I beg to differ with you! That IS fact! I work at a store and I see what they get in food stamps! I know most of the people who come in and believe me, you would be appalled at what these people get in stamps AND TANF. And the illegals do so get Mainecare! I’ve witnessed some using their card at doctors offices, drug stores and ER’s…….especially during blueberry raking season! I brought my young son to the ER one day (during raking season) and there were about 15 Mexicans between admissions and the waiting room. Some were telling admissions that they were there for “back pain”, then while they were waiting to get called in to see a dr, they’re laughing, poking at each other and joking around. No one seemed to be in any pain…….and they all had “back problems”?? NO, they were there to get pain meds. Don’t tell me they didn’t have fake paperwork/SS cards to get into the US. Blackmarket!!! This is talked about all the time. Did I know all 15 were illegal….no….but you know a group that large, there were going to be at least 1/2 who were. Others use cards of ones who are legal, ID’s aren’t asked for, so there’s no way of checking. When picking up scripts, all you need is a birthdate.
Anyone can apply for food stamps etc. It’s the people who lie, cheat and steal who get the most coverage. The politicans need to send to undercover people into DHS’s all over the country to see how easy it is…..and some should be sent with fake paperwork, and pose as a Mexican!
Just because they are “Mexican” doesn’t mean they are here illegally.
Not all of them, but a majority…..and I didn’t say ALL OF THEM were. Do you not follow the news? Why do you think a fence was going to be put up? They sneak in here all the time.
Breitbart’s dead and O’Keefe is a liar.Nice try.If I wanted to find out tax cheats I’d start with all the rich TP whiners.There is your big problem worth hundreds of millions of $$.
Lot of ignorance and bigotry in your post.
No, actually……facts. I SAW these people in the ER. I WORK with the public. I SEE this going on all the time. The taxpayers are being ripped off for supporting people who do not want to help themselves and live off the system instead. I have no problem whatsoever with someone being on food stamps, Mainecare or even TANF as long as they are doing something to improve their lives…….such as working and/or going to school. Doing drugs is not one of them! Lying and ripping off the system is not one of them either! I used to get TANF when my kids were growing up…….BUT, I also worked and paid back into the system that helped me.
Alot of ignorance is Scintillate’s post of this morning at 6:43, too…..”Never met an under weight parent or child who gets food stamps and welfare.” NOTHING was said about THAT.
I said SOME not ALL and I get my butt jumped!
That’s quite a leap you’ve made, asuming that everyone in Maine with a Mexican accent is here illegally!
You do realize that many migrant workers have green cards or are American citizens, right?
I personally know over a half dozen Maine citizens with Mexican accents who were born in America and are citizens.
I NEVER said that everyone in Maine with a Mexican accent is here illegally!! Scroll back up a few…..I said ” Not all of them, but a majority…..and I didn’t say ALL OF THEM were.” And what I meant, but didn’t say at the time was, not just Maine.
And for the record, I HAVE turned illegals in!
But on the other hand, it’s ok for Scintillate (post from today at 6:43 AM) to post: “Never met an under weight parent or child who gets food stamps and welfare.” NO ONE jumped all over that like they did my post…….What gives here????
Oh, and if you actually do know of any illegal aliens getting Mainecare and are not turning them in for braking the law, YOU are part of the problem.
Illegals cannot get Mainecare. That was true under Baldacci and it is still true now.
First off he could try losing some weight so he didn’t have so much belly to fill. The $31 is suppose to supplement what the family needs. It’s not meant to buy all their groceries Most low income families go to food cupboards too. I work at a food cupboard and we are trying to encourage the families to eat more nutritionally by offering more fruits and vegetables and not just passing out cheap carbs.
Not meant to buy all their groceries… I work on the store end of this all. A single mother of 2 who gets over $700 a month in FS. And she does not work! A 45 year old drug addict, living by himself, who works under the table and gets over $300 a month. The 60ish year old man and his wife, who get mail in another town, get over $1200 a month and have been FOR YEARS! I know people who have been turned in for FS/TANF and Maincare fraud and you know what……NOTHING WAS DONE!!
How do you know she get 700 a month for SNAP? The same card is used for TANF as well. Some of that money could be her TANF benefit as well.
There are 5 functions to a SNAP card.
1. Food stamp purchase
2. Food stamp return
3. TANF purchase (or cash purchase)
4. TANF return (or cash return)
5. Balance inquiry
Food stamps is one part of the card and TANF is another…….they are listed seperately on the card. After the card is swiped, one of those numbers is entered into the machine as to what is being done……after the puchase is made, the receipt comes out and their balance is on the slip.
This is supposed to be under Quartz24’s post.
What the heck…….
I had the same problem yesterday.Posts not going where they should and responses not posting for a LONG time.
Ok thanks. Was wondering if I was doing something wrong. Looks funny seeing some of these posts that don’t make any sense….kinda like hanging in mid air! LOL
Sometimes Disqus will just spin aimlessly as well.System overload?Today everything seems to post correctly-so far.
What the heck is all this drug addicts getting mainecare and food stamps? How does dhhs make that one work? What is their reason for providing assistance? Is it because they’re addicts? If so, I’m sorry but there’s the problem with the spending then, in this state, right there. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Single drug addicts getting assistance with no children? HUH?
They do! They get their methadone paid for at our expense……they get their trip to the clinic paid for at our expense…..I’m not going to get into what else they get, but THAT’S THE PROGRAM THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED!!! The cuts in health insurance for the ones who really need it, but the druggie is taken care of. The senior citizen who has to decide whether to pay for their meds or eat this month, cuz all they get is $10 a month in FS…..
he needs to get the gov. on board with this program.Oh thats right the taxpayers fund his twinkies and eats
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And also he already has the knowledge of how to cook from scratch if necessary-not to mention a world class home kitchen worth thousands,I bet.That said,at least he’;s walking the walk for a week and has given of his time for many benefits before and after this.Many people don’t know how to cook ANYTHING.Remember Home Ec?How long since that has existed?I’d LOVE to see stamps come with a cooking/nutrition class before being given.Small investment,potentially big rewards.
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There are literally dozens upon dozens of blogs on how to do this. just google frugality blogs. Here’s a site that links to many others. Oh yeah, there are plenty of stay at home parents in there who feed their families using many methods for very little–even for families with allergic kids . you just have to look around . http://frugaldad.com/2011/12/05/top-frugality-blogs/
I don’t think that should be limited to food stamps though. Perhaps periodic nuitrition classes throughout schooling would be greatly beneficial, especially in terms of health.
Bring back home ec, and kids would be learning how to cook, how to fix holes in their clothes or make new clothes out of old, how to be financially responsible and budget their money, how to balance a checkbook…they’d be learning everything that those who were born after 1980 haven’t really had access to. It would make sense to bring back home ec, but since home ec doesn’t really involve computers and ipads, can’t imagine schools jumping on the idea. Have to keep up with the technical Joneses.
Wanted to add to this that in truth, that 128 per person applies only if the parent(s) who have dependents don’t work. A struggling family, with a working parent trying to provide for their family, who needs help gets significantly less. More along 128/family of four per month.
The whole system needs an overhaul, so that those families who are trying to work their way through life are helped a bit more, and those who aren’t interested in working and have made a career of living off the State are helped a bit less. I believe this would encourage the abusers to stop abusing, or at least not get benefits anymore, and would discourage politicians from continually attacking assistance programs.
Everyone needs a helping hand at some point. It is those who take advantage of a broken system that make hard working people embarrassed to have to use an EBT card at the grocery store.
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True, but no one seems to be implementing any rules to try and fix a broken system. They just seem to keep cutting assistance funding.
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I’m not sure how you would address the uniqueness part.Would you have a social worker visit each house?You are 100% right that cuts will not help but only make things worse.For example,LePage seems focused on destroying the DEL program.He’s lost twice but keeps trying.Why does he hate the elderly and disabled so?Does he just want them to die so they won’t cost the Richie Richs anything?Maine is now Ryan Lite.
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Absolutely agreed.Those populations can’t hold a big rally or pay lobbyists so they lose.
LePage doesn’t care-he’s well paid and wants for nothing.
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I absolutely agree with everything you stated in this post. But, maybe if the system focused more on helping those who are trying to help themselves, those who abuse the system would be more likely to try helping themselves? I don’t know the answers, and with social services I don’t think anyone knows the answers, but I do feel we should continue trying to fix a broken system. Maybe it shouldn’t be income based-it obviously is too easy to abuse the system based solely on income.
My initial point in all of this was that the hard working families who have to use an EBT card to supplement their food budget, do so appropriately yet are judged and ridiculed right along with the abusers who use their EBT cards to buy soda and candy bars at the convenience store. I would think that our society is smart enough to understand the need for those families out there and recognize they are not abusing the system. Yet, the abuse and fraud is what is continuously pointed out as reasons why funding should be cut, and everyone is lumped together. Why can’t the people who make these accusations offer constructive thoughts/ideas on how to change the system for the better instead of accepting the status quo and griping about it?
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From the looks of him, Mr. Batali has a long way to go before he starves!
I think people are missing the main point, he is just trying to show that it is difficult to afford enough good quality food. I know the cost of food has increased so much over the last year and a half, that I have had to change the items and brands that I buy, and like he mentioned above, I had to cut out the few organic items that I used to buy. I shop sales, I buy in bulk when it makes sense to do so, and I do menus for the week when things are getting really tight. Four members of our family are lactose intolerant which adds even more to the grocery bill. I’ve never needed food stamps, but I do understand the struggle of trying to make those food dollars stretch, it isn’t easy. I can make a lunch for my children for less than I can buy a school lunch for them. As the cost of food continues to increase, people are losing their jobs, having their hours cut, living on less, or best case scenario their wage is just frozen until the economy improves. And then when you add this to the rest of the big picture it wont be long before the people who think that they would never be in the situation that they need to figure out how to feed a family on $75 a week, or whatever. We just discovered that our health insurance (that we are luck to have, and we DO pay for it) is changing it’s deductible from $300 a year to $3000 a year…………that is a huge hit for a family……..how many hits can a family take before they drown? I’m not sure what the answer is, but I will keep you posted! :)
Lactose intolerance shouldn’t add anything to your grocery bill…milk isn’t necessary (despite what the dairy board wants you to believe) and cheese generally has no lactose (unless it’s cottage cheese or Kraft American). Yogurt also has no lactose (because the bacteria eat it).
Well, I wish that was accurate. Aged cheeses have very little lactose, but they still have some. And non of the store brand cheeses are lactose free because of the processing that they go through, often time milk solids have been added, even in a bag of shredded cheddar cheese, milk solids have been added back in during processing. Kraft has some that have minimal lactose, and those we can use (at $5 a bag of course). Yogurt too still has lactose in it, and again, depending on the brand the the processing, milk solids are added back into it, defeating the work of the bacteria to eat the lactose, although many people with lactose intolerance can seem to digest the yogurt, my family can’t unfortunately. Many people can also use the Lactaid products that claim to be lactose free (they are not by the way) and get away with it, but again, we have all tried and can’t. We may no NEED milk, but we do need the calcium and Vitamin D, especially the kids, so the products we do buy are more expensive: Almond milk, soy yogurt, Kraft chesse with no lactose, the occasional coconut milk ice cream (at $5 a pint at least) and anther “milk” alternative that we end up needed for something. These things are usually sold in smaller containers and are more expensive. We have tried everything through trial and error. Not to mention all of the products that you would not think have lactose in them, but do, crackers, chips, dressings, cereals etc, milk solids and milk powder (which is way more concentrated than milk itself) is added to Many products:( If it were just me, I’d just do without, but for the whole family, it does increase our grocery bill a lot, unfortunately.
Milk solids do not add lactose! Lactose is part of the whey, not part of the curd (solids). Some cheeses, like Kraft American, have skim milk added, which adds lactose (skim milk has the highest amount of lactose of any milk product). You can tell by looking at the label. If the nutrition facts indicate zero grams of sugar, that means that there is less than one half of one gram of lactose per serving in that product (of course, this is impossible to ascertain in products that have sugar added). You are correct that lactaid products are not really lactose-free. Lactaid generally adds lactase, which is the enzyme lactose intolerant people are lacking. The body is not supposed to produce lactase after early childhood, but often we trick it into continuing to produce it by continuing to consume dairy products. Given the facts you have provided, I would suspect that your family isn’t really lactose intolerant, but rather sensitive to milk protein or to casein. In many ways, the symptoms produced by this sensitivity would be similar to the symptoms of lactose intolerance; however, substituting lactase either in pill form or in products like Lactaid milk will not stop the symptoms as it does in people with lactose intolerance. Either way, dairy isn’t good for you. Cow milk is for baby cows, not humans (especially adult humans).
I’m certain there exists some abuse. However, many people in Maine would not survive without the food stamp program. And, I think everyone who works for Health & Human Services should be required to try to live for a week on the equivalent food stamps would provide.
It’s not the people at DHS who should try this……it’s the politicians who make the rules that should try this. They should forego their salary for a year and live like a real poverty stricken person.
Let the bashing begin for the Welfare *Shaking my head* Some of you people are just plain ignorant. Everyone judges before they know peoples story. So so sad
Let the Gov. live on food stamps for a month
The problem with Maine is that people have a better idea of whose abusing the system. That’s not so true where people live in relatively homogeneous suburbs.
We do have many people who are truly in need and should get more help than they do. They can’t get it because the slackers are taking too much and want more.
There is a lot of resentment because they watched these people goof off in school, and eventually drop out, buy cars they couldn’t afford and cruise by the school and laugh at the kids who are doing what’s right. They see them scarf up the junk food and make other poor nutrition choices. They drive to work in the morning and see the wide screen TV on and it’s on all day and half the night. They know whose abusing drugs. They watch their neighbor pump out three kids without the benefit of a husband and then expect all kinds of help.
More than once I’ve said they need to give people getting assistance a job sorting recycling or some other public service effort so they can’t sit by while others support them as well as their own families.
I love what he attempted to demonstrate.
Food stamps should allow a daily budget at least equivalent to one “happy meal”. But that requires a rational Congress, and that means dumping the Republicans who would prefer to buy luxuries for the rich rather than feed the poor…
But there is a reality to address here … don’t whine about (or even mention) foods that are “organic and anything pesticide- or hormone-free” and then talk about buying saturated fat riddled “pork shoulder roast” or any product which is poisonous to the cardiovascular system and serves to clog the blood stream. We are not too far from seeing researchers publish new research which looks at blood vessels in the brain — and reports brain cells being killed from lack of blood and oxygen caused by the clogging of the vessels which should be feeding them.
Sick of hearing “get a job.” I am disabled, the real kind of disabled, not the mystery “injury” kind. I have serious health issues that require 40 plus hours/week in treatment and leaves me extremely fatigued the rest of the time. We have 2 children and my husband works 40 hours a week for the State Government. We get food stamps. We have to eat a lot of pasta, cheap meats and cereal to make the budget stretch. I would love a program that allowed for vegetables and fruit. I do what I can, mainly for the kids, I will buy for them, while we eat cheap mac and cheese. A WIC like program, or a way to gain healthier foods would be a great relief to us… but for now we are stuck in the SNAP program, and truly grateful for the extra help it can offer.
> Sick of hearing “get a job.” I am disabled, the real kind of disabled, not the
> mystery “injury” kind. I have serious health issues…
Well, the “get a job” obviously doesn’t apply to you then. Various disability and welfare progams are intended for just such legitimate cases. The problem is that fraud and abuse is so rampant. For many, their only “disability” is lazyness, or drug/achohol dependance, or both. If we could weed out all the scammers, we could probably cut the entire welfare budget in half, while at the same time doubling support for the legitimately needy. Testing for illegal drug use in order to qualify for any type of assitance would be a good first step.