Charles Torres+FollowI got a $0.50 raise at work, and it cost my family $400 in food benefits. Make it make sense.I was so excited last month. My manager finally approved my raise. It wasn't much, just 50 cents more an hour, but it felt like progress. I reported the income change like a good citizen. Yesterday, I got the letter. Because my gross income is now $30 over the eligibility limit, my SNAP benefits have been completely cut off. Let's do the math: My raise gets me about $80 extra a month (before taxes). I just lost $400/month in food assistance. I am literally poorer now because I worked harder. I sat at the kitchen table and cried. I have to choose between refusing the raise (and staying stagnant) or taking it and not being able to feed my family. This system is designed to keep us trapped. It punishes you for trying to climb out of the hole. Has anyone else hit this "Benefit Cliff"? How did you handle it? #WelfareTrap #SystemBroken #WorkingPoor #SNAPBenefits #Economics #Injustice173244Share
Megan+FollowI’m a single mom of two, working full time. Monthly income is about $3200. Every SNAP chart I looked at told me I made too much money for my family of three. I figured SNAP was only for people who weren’t working. So, stressed and struggling, I never applied. The other day, I was talking to a friend and I joked “if I didn’t have to pay $1000 for daycare every month, I wouldn’t need food stamps” She stopped me. “That’s exactly why you need to apply. They don’t just count what you make they count what you keep after necessary expenses” When I finally swallowed my pride and submitted the app the caseworker showed me the math. I learned they don’t just look at your gross income they look at your net income after applying deductions. They deduct a portion of my rent, my work expenses, and a huge chunk of my essential high ahh childcare. Even with my decent pay check after all those deductictions my net income was eligible I was approved for $310 a month. That’s $310 I don’t have to choose between buying groceries for my kids and paying my energy bill… it was the relief I needed to keep working and providing If you are working and paying high childcare or rent your net income might qualify you. You are not taking from anyone! You are using the benefit the rules set aside to support the working poor #SNAPBenefits #SNAPLife #SNAPTalk231580Share
Andrew Goltz+FollowA Food Pantry Done Right — Huge Respect to Berkeley I saw something today that honestly stopped me in my tracks — a community food pantry that’s open 24/7 for anyone who needs it. I know churches and community centers run food programs, but I’ve never seen one like this where people can just walk up any time and grab what they need. Out of respect, I didn’t dig through everything (it's their community after all), but they had a freezer full of food, a refrigerator stocked with homemade meals, and shelves with non-perishables for anyone who’s hungry. No judgment, no paperwork, no gatekeepers — just help. This is the kind of community action I love to see. You don’t need a corporation or a government agency to do something meaningful. People can take care of people, and honestly, they often do it better. So I just wanted to give a huge shout-out to Berkeley, California for setting up something so simple and so powerful. I’m seriously impressed. #SNAPBenefits #FoodPantry #BerkeleyCA #CommunitySupport #Community51Share
