We've had people getting most of their food from food banks, and then using their EBT cards for steak, lobster, chips and soda. Food banks would get a lot of food from supermarkets, as stuff on shelf was nearing expiration.
But food banks are drying up, so these people are going to need to use their EBTs for real food.
Food Shortages? Nope, Too Much Food In The Wrong Places
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, a network of food banks and charitable meals programs, says that these programs normally receive large donations of unsold food from retail stores. In recent weeks, though, as retailers struggled to keep their shelves stocked, "we're seeing as much as a 35% reduction in that donation stream from retail," Babineaux-Fontenot says."
“But food banks are drying up, so these people are going to need to use their EBTs for real food.”
But the maddening thing is that people that are in dire straights partially GOT there because they don’t HAVE any skills - even the simple skill of a food budget or how to plan a meal or how to cook!
I’ve been frugal forever - so much of that is second nature to me. Also raised by Depression-Era Grandparents who taught me a LOT!
I had a friend who, through no fault of her own, ended up using food stamps for a few months while her family got back on their feet. (Injury, lost their jobs, etc.)
She could’ve fed a family of 10 on what she could buy with food stamps each month. She had a very well-stocked larder when the dust settled and things went back to normal again.
I’m really curious to see what ‘lessons learned’ come out of this ‘crisis’ for families, singles, and especially companies and small businesses that have been hit hard.
I’ve been thinking of starting a thread on what each of us could contribute to a Black Market Economy if something like this happens again and Mother Government puts her combat boot on our throats for a number of weeks, months, or years!