“FEED THE CHILDREN”

Children who are hungry cannot possibly succeed in school because they don't have the ability to focus on lessons while contemplating a way to stop their hunger. According to information stated by the Food Stamp Program: For over 40 years, the federal Food Stamp Program, now officially named SNAP - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - has served as a mainline federal social assistance program designed to help low-income families and individuals buy the food they need for good health. The SNAP (Food Stamp) program now helps put nutritious food on the tables of 28 million people every month.

In this statement, it says that the program is designed to help low-income families to buy the food they need for good health. But is the food people are buying with the food stamps nutritious like the Food Stamp Program claims it is? Food Stamp guidelines should include only healthy foods from the 7 main food groups and water:

Meats: Fresh or frozen (not processed)

Fruits & Vegetables: Fresh or frozen and also to be used at community gardens or farmers markets

Cereals: Hot or cold but no sugared cereals.

Dairy: Also called milk products include milk, yogurt and cheese as well as ice cream.

Fats and oils: Corn cooking oil, butter and margarine.

Fruit: Sometimes categorized with vegetables, is typically a medium-sized category in nutrition guides, though occasionally a small one. Examples include apples, oranges, bananas, berries and melons.

If you stand in line at your local food market for one hour on any given day however, you’ll see what people are purchasing with their food stamps. You will see them buying fancy half-sheet birthday cakes, bottles of sugared soda, candy, cookies, snacks, and numerous other unhealthy types of food. Is this the way we are stopping hunger for our children?
Here are some realistic solutions to the problem that could be easily implemented immediately:

SECTION 1: Revamp Food Stamps using the model of the WIC program. Recipients of Food Stamps should be allowed to use these stamps for the same types of items as WIC allows people to buy which is healthy food for the children. This means if people want to buy junk food or fancy cakes, they will have to pay for it out of their cash allocations.

SECTION 2: Every recipient of Welfare Benefits will be issued a valid state identification card for items purchased with food stamps. This will help decrease food stamps “fraud” where people sell their food stamps at a discounted price for cash to support a drug or/alcohol addiction instead of using the Food Stamps to feed their children. However, we know people sell their Food Stamps even when they use a valid ID. The stores don't check ID's which is the problem. They sell the whole card to the person they're selling it to for 1/2 the value. The Food Stamp recipient then reports their card lost or missing and gets a new one issued in 3 days. The person who bought the card simply disposes of it after it is used up. Implement stiff penalties for store owners who don't check ID and a person must pay a decent amount of money after reporting a card lost or missing 3 times. That will cut down on fraudulent use and sales of Food Stamps.

SECTION 3: Every recipient receiving public assistance for more than two years is to be tested for drugs randomly. There are so many people who are on prescribed medications who are also selling their Food Stamps and are illicit drug users. Urinalysis can decipher who is using prescribed drugs and who is not. If they test positive for an illegal substance, the recipient will be provided with drug recovery services and a social worker/child advocate will be appointed to ensure that the children are being fed and clothed properly by way of the welfare benefits. If the individual tests positive a second time, the allocation of public assistance will be suspended until he/she goes for help.

SECTION 4: Subsidize the working poor who are working-not staying home on welfare--with more benefits such as subsidized healthcare and additional food stamps.

SECTION 5: Provide free mandatory nutritious meals in public, private, and parochial schools throughout the school year with the money saved by Food Stamp abuse.

Copyright, 2011