It’s Hard to Be Hopeful When You Are Hungry
It is hard to be hopeful when you are hungry. It’s even harder when you’re hungry and you don’t know how you are going to get food to eat. Hope is going to take a big hit on November 1, because that is when about 42 million Americans, who rely on Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to put food on their tables, will not receive them because of the government shutdown.
The United States Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, put this despicable, false and disingenuous notice on their website:
Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.
Food insecurity is already a big problem and come November 1, it is going to get a whole lot worse. This is in addition to the impact the so-called Big Beautiful bill is starting to have on so many receiving SNAP benefits.
Food shelves that were already struggling to keep enough food on their shelves for those needing it are unsure how they will meet the increase in demand. As one food shelf director stated, “This is really an unprecedented situation.”
As much as this makes me want to cry, wring my hands and feel like there is nothing I can do, that would be wrong and untrue! Hope is about taking action! I am asking anyone who reads this to help end food insecurity. Here are some suggestions:
Donate money to your local food shelf and or an organization working to end hunger. If you are not sure where to donate, consider Every Meal because they are doing great work to end childhood hunger or a Meal with Dignity where they believe making a sandwich makes a difference.
If you are in the Twin Cities metro area, go get some Finnegans beer at Fulton Brewing and help turn beer into food for those that need it.
Donate food to your local food shelf, but please be thoughtful about it. They don’t want the pasta sauce that is sitting in the cupboard and expired five years ago.
Organize a food drive in your neighborhood.
Volunteer at a local food shelf or food drive.
If you care about food policy, public health and nutrition, check out Dr. Jessica Knurick. She is brilliant! You can follow her on social media or subscribe to her Substack or make a donation to support her work.
And if you are already doing work to end hunger or any of the other social problems that are causing harm to so many, take care of yourself. We don’t have unlimited energy. Letting yourself get run down and ragged doesn’t help anyone and makes hard work even harder.
And no matter how cruel and unkind this world of ours feels, especially right now, don’t let that eclipse the beauty, joy and kindness that still exists within it.
Learn More
Every Meal, Finnegans and A Meal with Dignity were all featured in Profiles In Hope. To learn more about them, check out their profiles.
