I do not understand this. With all the programs available in this day and age how can this happen.

Between all the government programs(federal, state and local) like food stamps and private programs like food banks I do not understand.

I Bring this up because I was watching on the local news how a food bank in our area are not seeing nearly as many donations as they have seen in the past. It also talked about having to cut back hours.
I suspect it has a lot to do with how inflation has effected everyone in this economy but it should not be effecting the government programs I would think?

With kids, in most school districts they prepare at least breakfast and lunch and will run these programs even in the summer months when schools are closed.

I have also seen the abuse while shopping at our local Bjs wholesale club. People with shopping carts full to over flowing of food I cant afford to buy, dressed in their designer clothing, with their expensive latest and greatest cell phone and their designers hand bag whip out their food stamp card to pay, then I see them getting into a brand new SUV in the parking lot.
Maybe I am missing something.

I am all for helping people in need, especially the children, I just don't understand how this could be happening at all.

Drugs, Shitty Parents.

It's not a supply issue.

There's a lot of factors, including stuff that goes on out there that many people don't realize.

Yes, schools offer free/reduced breakfasts and lunches for those in need. But that only helps on school days (and during summer weekdays in some cases). I've dealt with kids who basically only eat at school. This means their last sure meal is Friday lunch until Monday breakfast. Christmas Break/Spring Break/etc. are even more stressful, facing a week or two without a sure meal. As a result, some schools have their own food pantries where students like that can stock up for the weekend/break so they'll have something to eat.

And more importantly, these school programs only helps those kids that are actually in school. There's a decent number of kids out there who don't attend school at all. And I'm not talking about willful truancy/skipping. Sometimes the parents just don't care due to addiction/mental illness/pure neglect, or sometimes the parents are actively avoiding enrolling their kids due to legal issues (like a noncustodial kidnapping), trying to cover up signs of abuse, transportation issues, antigovernment/antischool views, etc.

Welfare programs can only help so much. Beyond simply illegal immigrants, there are also groups of legal immigrants who fall through the cracks. For example, there are a bunch of small Pacific island chains that used to be US territories in the mid-1900s, but have since become semi-independent. Their residents are not US citizens, but they have what's known as "Free Association" with the US, wherein they don't need green cards or visas. Up until just recently, the welfare laws had a big gap that didn't cover people like that. If you were a citizen you could get welfare. If you were a legal resident with a visa/green card you could get welfare. But if you were here legally as a non-visa/non-citizens, you weren't included. This was a huge issue in my area for a long time, since we have the largest population of Marshall Islanders outside of the islands themselves, and they were in this predicament.

From there, you get into the families that are actively on welfare, but the parents are selling/trading their EBT/SNAP benefits to feed their addictions rather than using it to feed their kids.

Then there's the "working poor", who make just barely enough to not qualify for welfare programs, but yet who still cannot afford all of their bills. Especially in areas like Northwest Arkansas where due to incredibly rapid growth the rent and housing prices have rapidly outstripped the average area wages. Some folks are having to put the majority of their monthly earnings into simply making their rent payments.

And the list sadly goes on and on.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by OttoSig:
Drugs, Shitty Parents.

^^^^^

quote:

Originally posted by 71 TRUCK:
Between all the government programs(federal, state and local) like food stamps and private programs like food banks I do not understand.

"Nothing wrong with shooting, long as the right people get shot." Nothing wrong with hand outs, as long as the right people get them.

I've lost track of how many times I've been on line in a conveinance store and watched people dressed MUCH nicer than me, pay for their snacks and junk food with their EBT card. Then watch them go outside and get in a car much nicer than I will EVER own.

As well I know 4 people who don't work, live on a government check. For nonsense reasons, they get it because they were able to bullshit their way into it. While I know others who can't get it, but need it and are more legitimate/deserving than the four combined.


Just another reason socialism/communism don't work, because people suck.

There's a billboard I pass that is paid for by some charity. It reads "1 in 6 children in the US go to bed hungry". First of all I question their numbers and what constitutes being hungry when going to bed anyway?

The REAL problem is obesity. No billboards needed for that though, just look around.

Back in the mid 80s while still living in New Jersey I remember standing in line at the grocery store waiting to pay for my grocery's.

While standing there I notice the gentleman in front of me dressed in a nice suit. He was getting ready to pay and when he did he removed a wad of cash from his pocket bigger than any I had seen any gas station attend carry, in New Jersey you still can't pump your own gas.

He was thumbing through the the wad of cash to get to the food stamps. This was back when people still used the food stamp books.

At the time it just made me shake my head wondering what the deal was.

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
Drugs, Shitty Parents.

It's not a supply issue.

When Govt. takes over parenting, there will be many parents who become disinterested in doing their part. I suspect it is simply laziness and selfishness on the parent's part rather than anything intentional.

That this includes not ensuring their child's nutrition is beyond shameful, but it is equally matched by inattention to their child's education, morality, etc. not to mention poisoning the minds of the next generation who know no other than to follow their parent's example.

"The Govt. will take care of you." Yes, ending up driving the masses into social and economic decline!

quote:

Originally posted by architect:

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
Drugs, Shitty Parents.

It's not a supply issue.

When Govt. takes over parenting, there will be many parents who become disinterested in doing their part. I suspect it is simply laziness and selfishness on the parent's part rather than anything intentional.

That this includes not ensuring their child's nutrition is beyond shameful, but it is equally matched by inattention to their child's education, morality, etc. not to mention poisoning the minds of the next generation who know no other than to follow their parent's example.

"The Govt. will take care of you." Yes, ending up driving the masses into social and economic decline!

I don't know if you are agreeing with me or not. But I will say that offering ANY leniency to the parents because of anything the gov't offers is a no-go for me. Parents are 100% responsible for their childs well being, if you get lazy or disinterested, you're a shitty parent.

Again, maybe you're agreeing with me in a way and I'm just reading it wrong.

Like many of you I have a hard time understanding this problem in a land of food abundance. Growing up in the 1950s no one went hungry, whether young or old. Of course, at that time, there was a much better sense of community, however defined. And parents recognized their obligation to their children. I think the breakdown of societal relationships and norms (of all kinds) have brought us to this point. As others have noted, there are freeloaders who will abuse the system, and it should the responsibility of government to weed them out.

There are enough charities available if the parents are willing to utilize them. Parents are the reason kids go hungry, it is not a lack of food.

I grew up very poor, lived without electricity on two different occasions (once through winter in Illinois). School lunch was our main sand largest meal. Summers were tough since we did not get that meal at school. I always lost weight during the summer due to lack of food, always went to bed hungry. This was due to parents that did not care, my mom had a 4 year degree but did not want to work. My parents were divorced and my dad never lacked but me and my two brothers did. My dad took motorcycle vacations to the Rocky’s with his third wife, yet I did not have food.

Due to being poor I started mowing grass at around 12. I had two very large lawns I mowed every week for a grand total of $25 for both. These were massive yards and I had a push mower with a 3.5 hp B&S engine. When I turned 16 I got work part time in retail but still mowed lawns. I never went hungry after that until I got married.

There were tough times for several years where we barely got by although I worked 60-70 hours a week. I finally joined the Air Force and things were tight but we never went hungry after that.

There is a problem with welfare abuse and also with scum parents. But there is no good reason for kids to be hungry in this day and age.

Everyone thinks the government should look after this and solve the problem

Just ask a disabled veteran how good the government is at looking after people after the government has used them up

The solution is to solve the program locally in spite of what the feds may profess is the solution

It’s drugs and shitty parents, as said above.
We learned about it in Maui where our church made backpacks for kids with food. Weekends the kids get no food otherwise.
Do y’all know that in CA at least every elementary school kid gets breakfast and lunch at school?
Encouraging irresponsibility among parents.

I saw this really accelerate in CA at least during covid lockdown. They had drive through good luck up. Dozens of pints of milk and cheese and other microwaveable dishes. It’s was obscene. And then uncle democrat days. Hey who’s giving you all that food ? Remember that when you vote.

Priorities, style over subsistence.

I live in a town of 25,000 in Virginia. Within walking distance of my house, there is a private shelter run as a mission that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner 5 days a week, and breakfast and dinner on the weekends, to anyone who shows up. One church three blocks away serves lunch 5 days a week to anyone who shows up. Another church a block away runs a food bank that gives food to anyone who asks. If I was destitute, I know I would not go hungry in my little town. Where I live, the answer is community, not government.

quote:

How can people, especially children in this day and age go hungry?

So exactly who is going hungry?

quote:

I Bring this up because I was watching on the local news how a food bank in our area are not seeing nearly as many donations as they have seen in the past.

How is that "children going hungry"?

When times got hard for my parents, we got help from neighbors/family and many nights my parents didn’t eat so that my sister and I could. As mentioned above, priorities.

IME, as a food manufacturer, most food kitchens are scams.

If you want to know about your local ones, ask around the local food companies, and see which ones will take food donations.

(There can be reasons why they won’t take food from restaurants- some do, some don’t - but there’s no legal reason why they won’t take a donation from a food manufacturer.)

And, some times things can be weird for manufacturers- some of the most commonly disposed of food, is mispackaged, or from changing over - and if there was a simple way to label it, that really should go to food kitchens/etc.

At least in Michigan meat, cheese, vegetable and fruit trays qualify to be purchased with a state issued Bridge Card. I had a couple in front of me once at a Meijer store talking about their Super Bowl party they were throwing the next day. Cart full of party trays, chips, pop. And how did they pay for it? Bridge Card of course.

We lived out west in the 80’s. I’d be buying hamburger while food stamp people were buying Lobsters and steaks. Saw kids in line at the Safeway buying chips, candy and pop. All legit.

There should be restrictions on what types of foods can be bought. Probably never happen because we have to preserve the dignity of those benefit recipients.