Oh wow… did this article coming out of Iowa really make me ANGRY. First off, they took an extra $160/child subsidy for summer SNAP to cover the fact they don’t get breakfast and lunch at school anymore and keep them from going hungry, and helpfully replaced it with at $40 premade food box.
It doesn’t matter if it is food the kids will eat or not, and I can sure as heck bet you it isn’t including fresh fruits and veggies if it is “premade.” It is probably canned ravioli, cereal, maybe some powdered milk or shelf-stable milk… Even with the access to using food bank channels to buy the food put in the box, they did not give those kids $160 worth of food with $40 worth of food in the box. What happened to the rest of the money? According to the article, only 15% of children eligible for the program were served, so only 15% of kids got 25% of what was coming to them. Where is all the other food money going?
The powers that be turn up their noses, tell the poor they will take what they get and say “thank you.” Iowa governor Kim Reynolds says this is all about “make America Healthy Again,” and gives children less food, none of it fresh, and at the same time places restrictions prohibiting soda, candy and other “unnecessary” food items. Granted - most people with SNAP have some other income coming in. Most are working poor. But, depending on where all that income is earmarked for, I would hate to imagine a world where your kid couldn’t have a birthday cake because the government wants to punish you for being among the (very large cohort) of working poor in this country. That is exactly what Iowa has done.
And god only knows what they have done with all the SNAP money that they “didn’t have to spend” to guarantee kids in food insecure homes access to fresh summer snacks like berries, apples, cherries and grapes. So good that Iowa invested in shelf-stable premade foods that I am sure are full of all kinds of good vitamins and minerals, and not canned pasta, canned soup, canned green beans and canned pears, because it isn’t like that is the standard food pantry box that is given out these days…
When it isn’t about the money, it’s about the cruelty. If you’re poor, it is a failing of morality, not a lack of education and opportunity, and you deserve to be punished. Just ask Iowa.
source: kcrg.com