No One "Deserves" to Starve

SNAP funding is set to expire at the end of the month, meaning 42 million Americans will go hungry. A large percentage of those on SNAP are disabled, and many won't be able to stand in a bread line.

For anyone who’s not already aware, SNAP funding is set to run out at the end of the month. That means that November benefits will not be paid out. The regime is blaming this on the government shutdown, despite the fact that food assistance has never been impacted during any shutdown in the past.

The USDA has a contingency plan to cover SNAP, but they are also refusing to pay out.

The government is making a very conscious decision to allow millions of Americans to starve, including the elderly, children and people with disabilities.

What’s worse, they seem to be funding an army of bots who are swarming social media with misinformation about SNAP and trying to convince the general public that everyone on it just needs to get a job. They’re all ‘scammers’. It’s their own fault. They ‘deserve’ to starve.

No one deserves to starve.

Photo by Jacob McGowin on Unsplash

Image Description: A food bank pantry shelf

Regardless of what you may hear from Republicans or MAGA internet trolls, a large number of people on SNAP are working. They have jobs but are still living below the poverty line.

The Walton family (who own Walmart) are worth over $400 billion, yet many of their employees are on SNAP.

Jeff Bezos is worth over $400 billion, yet many Amazon employees require SNAP.

The people who need help are not the problem. It’s corporate greed. It’s an unwillingness to pay a living wage. That’s why there are so many Americans relying on food assistance.

The ones who aren’t working are children, the disabled, the elderly and unpaid caregivers. They’re people who can’t work through no fault of their own and require assistance to ensure they can keep food on their table.

Yet the government thinks it’s ok to rip this assistance away from them. There was very little warning that SNAP wouldn’t be funded come November. There’s never been a government shutdown which impacted food assistance.

As a result, people had no time to come up with contingency plans. No chance to try and stock up (if they could even afford it). In fact, whenever I post about SNAP I invariably get panicked messages from readers who didn’t know they wouldn’t receive their funding until they read my post.

This is a failure of government and mainstream media to protect the most vulnerable in society.

Food is a necessity for survival. It should be a basic human right. No one should go hungry in the richest country in the world.

This should be the top story on the news every night. It should be a leading headline in major media outlets every day. Yet it’s not. If you’re not chronically online you may still not know what’s about to happen.

The Republicans talk about it, but only to blame the Democrats, immigrants and trans people. They lie. They violate the HATCH Act. They do whatever they can to shift blame and obfuscate the message so that their voters, many of whom rely on SNAP to survive, won’t realize the horrible truth… The GOP are about to let Americans starve.

The bot armies are also blaming every marginalized group they can. They’re blaming immigrants, trans people, poor people, the disabled and the elderly. They stop short of blaming children, but have no issue blaming their parents. Saying that if children go hungry, it’s due to bad parenting and the kids should be taken away.

I am begging people to pay close attention to what’s happening right now. You don’t fund a bot army for ‘fun’. You do it to push an agenda. And they’re clearly pushing the narrative that no one ‘deserves’ food assistance. That ‘handouts’ are no longer an option in America. That you should pull yourself up by your bootstraps and be ‘productive’ or prepare to starve to death.

It’s full on Nazi rhetoric, and it’s not going away.

The Nazis called people who needed assistance ‘useless eaters’, and in choosing to turn off food assistance, this regime is doing the exact same thing.

What’s worse, the “useless eater” rhetoric has been used time and time again to target disabled people, and we are once again in the line of fire when it comes to SNAP funding cuts.

It’s not as easy for disabled people to use food banks as it is for other people. That’s a reality we have to face. Whether it be physical challenges and barriers, special diets or a combination of factors… cuts to SNAP will hit our community hard and fast.

Many people with complex chronic illness are already malnourished. They’re living below the poverty line while facing a punishing “disability tax”.

If you don’t know what that is, it’s the term given to reflect the extra costs people with disabilities have to absorb.

Being sick is expensive! Most won’t understand it until they go through it themselves.

We are forced to live in legislated poverty while having higher medical costs and drugs costs. We may need to buy assistive devices and accommodation equipment. We often need to hire caregivers, rely on expensive delivery and other paramedical services and supplies. The costs add up fast and even with SNAP, many disabled people go hungry.

When you have to choose between food and medicine, the medicine often wins. It’s unfair that anyone should face that choice and yet it’s a daily reality for many of us.

People are rationing their medicine. They’re rationing their food. They’re going to lose their SNAP at a time when they’re already weak and struggling.

Lastly, food banks will not be able to accommodate most special diets. Disabled people are able to use their SNAP funding at various stores and online retailers so that they can purchase specialty items. When you’re sick, “just eat rice and beans” isn’t a feasible solution.

Many people require gluten free, sugar free, low histamine or high/low protein options. They might need all liquid diets. They could require special formula for their babies. When you’re disabled, options narrow. Costs rise and flexibility is limited. We must protect our community and refuse to allow anyone to be left behind.

What Can We Do to Help Each Other?

First, we need to recognize and accept the sheer scale of the problem. 42 million people rely on SNAP. Food banks, churches and charities are not equipped to handle that kind of an influx.

For every meal that a food bank gives out, SNAP provides nine.

Food banks are already struggling due to Trump cancelling 94 million pounds of food aid.

Federal workers have been furloughed for over a month, and many of them needed to start using food banks when they missed their first pay cheque.

In fact, a video from Maryland shows line ups around the block for a local food bank.

So it’s ok to feel overwhelmed. It’s ok to feel scared. It’s ok to think this problem feels ‘too big’ to tackle. Feel all the feelings because they’re valid, but remember that we all have the power to make a difference. There are things we can do.

It’s going to start with strong networks of community care and a commitment to checking on one another. We must agree it’s no one’s fault that they rely on SNAP. People are not to blame for this society wide failure, and they especially shouldn’t be blamed for not having a contingency.

The USDA was the contingency. They should be funding SNAP, and many states have filed lawsuits to try and force them to do their duty.

It is not your fault if you’re struggling. It’s not your neighbours fault if they’re struggling. The system failed and now we must save one another.

I will be the first to admit I don’t have all the answers, but what I do have is an incredible community of resourceful, caring and empathetic people who I know want to help others.

I’m hoping that together we can come up with suggestions and ideas to help feed one another.

I’m going to list my suggestions below, and I invite people to add their own in the comments of this post. Let’s brainstorm, think outside the box and try and save as many people as we can!

• If you know someone is relying on SNAP, check on them. Don’t assume the food bank will help them. Don’t assume they have a contingency. Call or text them and ask if they need help.

• If you’re someone who can drive, volunteer to give rides to low cost grocery stores and/or food banks. Many disabled people can’t drive and have limited mobility.

• Likewise, volunteer to drop off food to people who are housebound.

• Donate to food banks! Most food banks would prefer money in lieu of food as they’re able to stretch a dollar further than we can. They also know what they need most. That said, every bit helps. You can also set up a recurring monthly or weekly donation with many food banks.

• Give to local churches and charities who will also be stepping up to help feed people in need.

• If donating food, please remember to consider those with special diets. Purchase some gluten free options. Sugar free options. Low histamine options. Try and think outside the box and pick a few items that someone with a chronic illness might need to survive.

• Don’t forget baby formula! Many SNAP recipients are new mothers who are struggling to feed their children. Make sure you donate formula and you can also give things like diapers, baby wipes and other infant supplies.

• Donate a few ‘treats’. There’s a nasty tendency to act like poor people don’t “deserve” luxuries. That they should eat whatever they’re given and be thankful for it. I promise you, people will be thankful for any food they can get come November. But that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a treat. People are scared. They’re hungry. They may have children who don’t understand why their parents can’t buy groceries anymore. Having a sweet treat is a great pick me up and they shouldn’t be denied that just because they can’t afford it.

• Donate to mutual aid. I can’t stress this enough. Even if everyone steps up and starts donating to food banks, they still won’t be able to feed everyone. People are going to be relying heavily on mutual aid. Don’t judge folks for asking for help. If you can spare a few dollars, donate. If you can’t donate, boost and share.

• Consider potlucks and/or community cooking events where people can batch cook large portions for their friends and neighbours. When you cook large quantities you save money. If you’re getting together with your community to cook, make sure you remember the housebound person who can’t participate and drop meals off for them.

• Look for local restaurants, coffee shops and businesses that might be providing free meals. Many are already saying they will give food to SNAP recipients, no questions asked.

Remember, there are a lot of good people in the world. They want to help. It can be incredibly difficult to ask for help, but at the end of the day most folks don’t want to see others go hungry.

If we work together, we absolutely can soften the blow. It feels insurmountable but I promise that it isn’t. It’s just going to require a commitment to helping our fellow human beings, and we have to keep talking about the issue.

The regime is flooding the zone for a reason, and I guarantee you they want people to forget that SNAP isn’t being funded.

Do not let them get away with it. Make sure you post about SNAP as often as you can. Tell your friends and family. Keep shouting about the 42 million Americans who’ve been abandoned by their government and left to starve.

Be loud. Be proactive. Be vigilant.

We’ve got this.

If you have any suggestions for how we can help people who’ve lost SNAP funding, please leave them below.

If you’re someone who needs help, leave a comment and hopefully we can think of ways to assist!