I Got Off Food Stamps Many Years Ago. Why I Still Fight Like Hell For That Program.
Years ago, I ended up pregnant and pretty much ghosted by the guy. This was back when just looking pregnant could get you fired, so I ended up spending most of my pregnancy sleeping on strangers' couches. Once my daughter was born, I moved back in with my mom and the stepfather who had abused me.
It was awful, but I got food stamps and a tiny bit of cash, and I used that help to immediately enroll in school for the quickest degree possible. I put up with terrifying worry, a beat-up car constantly threatening to die, wearing old Goodwill uniforms, and the alcoholic rages at home—all to finish school and get us out.
After two and a half years, I graduated, immediately got a great job, and stopped taking any kind of help. Because I went back to school, I spent the next 40 years in a career that paid way more than I ever expected, which meant I paid significantly more taxes back into the system that helped me.
I pulled myself and my daughter out of poverty because of that temporary assistance. Now, someone please tell me why I would ever not want someone else to get that same hand up to improve their life and contribute more.
#FoodStamps #Poverty #SocialSafetyNet #PersonalStory #Taxes #WhyWeNeedHelp #GiveBack #SNAP
