In August 2009, my creative alternative to food stamps was to co-found a food reclamation project. “Serving Artists” is a personal adapted solution to receive local, organic produce. For the past 4 months I have only purchased soymilk and eggs (by choice) from the grocery story. Everything else has been provided – produce, bread, grains, herbs, etc! If you are interested in starting your own food reclamation project, view our recently posted “Serving Artists Tool Kit” at http://www.servingartists.blogspot.com

Blessings and bon appetit!

Jane described her situation having been injured & fighting Soc Sec Disability & the length of time it takes to even get a hearing, let alone an approval, is ridiculous! I am battling the same situation myself. Yea-I’m a single mom, but certainly wasnt my choice to have my husband cheat on me w/multiple women while I was working 24-48hr shifts as a Paramedic-I honored MY vows diligently & lovingly. Anyway-after the divorce I had *finally* learned how to be self sufficient, was working full time, going to school full time (for my 2nd degree-I AM educated-graduated from college with honors & was on both the Dean’s & President’s lists in fact) & spending as much *quality* time with my kids as possible (studying at night while they slept & when work was slow). I had a goal-to finish my RN & buy my boys & I a nice house in FL where we’ve always longed to live. I opened an account with Merrill Lynch, bought a used, but decent truck, started a Roth-IRA & was doing a lot better than anyone gave me credit for (not to mention I battled cancer alone with NO kind of moral or other support & minimal time off work & still kept my volunteer Fire/Rescue position too!). For the first time in my life I was PROUD & happy with *me*.

It only took 1 shift @ work, 1 patient, to begin the process of eroding all I’d worked for. 7 & 1/2 yrs later, here I am-havent worked since my last shift in June 2005 (worked till I simply couldnt bear the pain anymore). I won’t go into all of the details of these last 4+ yrs but I will say that I now have 5 herniated discs in my back, my left leg has been “asleep” for over 2yrs, my balance is bad b/c of that & I fall a lot, & I live every moment of my life in terrible burning nerve pain in my legs & *normal* pain in my back & both hips…& I will admit, embarrassing as it is, that I am now homeless-I live in a tent in my old backyard where my ex-husband & his wife (cheat #3) & their son live-& I’ve just been told that I need to be gone ASAP but no later than 2wks from tomorrow. I got just over $2k from work comp after my atty & Blue Cross & Medicaid liens were taken from my award (yes-I had to pay back what Medicaid paid for my medical care so no, not everyone gets “free” help from the tax payers-of which I was one). I’ve agreed 2 let 2 of my 3 sons live with their dad b/c I can’t properly care for them when I’m homeless & eating once a day at most (my oldest son is from my 1st husband who isnt in the picture-again, not my choice & certainly not my 16yr old sons choice). I fear every day that the State is going to take him from me b/c I’m homeless but his father is a very abusive man & at least if he is with me I know he isnt being beaten like I was. I make sure he has food with the food $ I do get from the state but it isnt exactly easy to eat nutritious all the time when u live in a tent & have nothing! I have always been a min. 3 course balanced meal @ the family table kind of mother & can’t wait for the day we can be a *normal* family again! Problem is, when will that be??? I filed for Soc Sec Disability (ssdi) over 4yrs ago, have been denied 3 times & am currently waiting for a “reversal of denial based on new information” (ie: I’m a LOT worse than I was even at the last hearing via MRI, etc) with the Appeals Board-my atty even asked for a faster hearing date based on my living conditions but here I wait in a tent….still. (& before anyone says it-I’ve heard it a million x’s now, I’mot on a computer-its a phone & my dad is paying for it so that I am able to keep in contact w/my atty, Dr’s & so my folks can check to make sure I’m still alive since I’m 1500 miles away from them).

There are so many preconceived notions about ppl on welfare, yet how many ever *really* know WHY that person is getting assistance (btw-I have never rec’d $ assistance….I get food benefits & Medicaid but it doesnt cover much & certainly not the 1 thing I want most in this world…..SURGERY!!). See, I don’t WANT anyone else’s $, I hate having to get food stamps & medicaid…..I dont even really care about the monthly disability check I SHOULD be getting b/c I PAID into the system long enough…..all I want is to have a 4 level spine fusion done so that I can at least have a shot @ maybe being able to work again & provide for MYSELF…..but not one Dr in the entire state will accept Medicaid for such a surgery-in fact not many here even take Medicare for it, but there are many in FL that do so I’ll just move there b4 the surgery instead of after.

So I cant work, I live in a tent, I am very thankful for the food stamps so that at least my son wont starve (but we cant both eat 3 decent remotely healthy meals p/day on what I get which is why I eat 1 time p/day-if that…to save it for my son) but again its kinda hard to not eat “junk” when u have no oven/stove/micro/toaster/toaster oven, etc.! I went from $ in the bank & on my way to an even better paying career, etc & now I have nothing, have had to give up 2 of my kids, & live my life in miserable pain on all these stupid pills I hate even taking but have to…..etc…..ALL b/c I cant have an operation on my back so I can get back 2 working & supporting my family again (& not living in a tent-thats borrowed no less…..oh & DHS says that I’m NOT *homeless* b/c I have a tent….boy thats comforting to know they care so much considering lightening, heat, & WINTER just around the corner!!). I’ve lost everything thru no fault of my own….& live in a tent, & ppl judge me as “lazy” or b/c I buy hot dogs & chips instead of roast & potatoes ONLY b/c I have no way to store or cook them…..well I’m sorry but that just makes my blood boil!!!

Illegals can get welfare money in 30 days, but I am DISABLED & been out of work over 4yrs, homeless & have lost everything & I cant even get the Soc Sec Disability that I paid into all those yrs I worked?!?!?! Now tell me again how that is #1 FAIR, #2 MY fault, #3 “lazy/uneducated” & finally….AMERICAN!!

What are ppl in my position supposed to do for survival when the SSDI system is as broken as my body is????? If any of u can come up with something that will work (& I havent already tried), then by all means, please do. Hell I plan to be an advocate for the disabled in situations like mine someday if I ever get thru this, but seriously….to judge me without ever having walked in my shoes b/c u GUESS I’m just lazy????

“Judge not, lest ye be judged…”!

Thank you for your comments. I agree that it is a good benefit when it is used properly, but there are many people who simply take advantage of the system. There need to be better checks and balances, but I don’t know how that can be done effectively.

The civilian sector I think should be given a time frame to be on welfare, but the system stops helping right at the point when a person starts to be self sufficient. They help with training and daycare for a year once you have a job. It may be longer now. I just heard a woman I work with say her daughter needed to stop working for awhile because she was in welfare housing and when they review her income they up her rent. Her rent was under $100 and she just didn’t want to pay it. So the mentality is to quit your job to keep the rent low for awhile. That is what’s wrong with our system. There is whole cultures of americans living this way. There are people who need it if they’ve been injured, and need a back up for awhile or real emergencies. Working people that have thing happen. Not for people to use because they are lazy. Or refuse to budget.

Thanks again for weighing in on this topic. This is something I really don’t know much about, so I run the risk of looking at the situation with jaded eyes, or thinking I have a solution for things I have never dealt with. I think it is easy for a lot of people to fall into that trap.

You are right, there are many things many of the commentators and myself didn’t take into consideration, including the amount of time and energy involved. I sincerely appreciate your contributions to this discussion.