I’m laughing because I just had this conversation with my mother last week. I was at an upscale supermarket here in Pittsburgh. All I wanted was one of those rotisserie chickens in the prepared foods section so I grabbed it and headed to that department’s little checkout counter. A woman in front of me had a plate piled high of gourmet prepared foods. $13 I think her total came to and she whipped out her food stamp card to pay for it. This was around two weeks ago so it was early November. My mom is a retired public assistance case worker; I was telling her this and she lost it saying that’s precisely why she doesn’t donate to any food banks. She said the food stamp people spend their money irresponsibly then show up at the local food banks once their food stamps have run out for the month or the use the food bank for their staples and buy junk w/ the food stamps.
Unreal. The system is totally broken.
But she did face hunger every day (thus she ate), and likely an empty plate (before filling it) and maybe did not have enough money to but the food she (thinks) she needed. Thus she faces food insecurity.
Meanwhile there really are some starving people in the world. At least some agencies like Grahams Samaritan's purse i think, are giving them the heavenly as well as earthly food.