In a move to further depress and hinder Illinois food stamps applicants, the Illinois Senate Committee has approved a motion to require SNAP benefit recipients to have their photo printed on their EBT Cards. According the Champaign/Urbana News Gazette, The Illinois Senate has decided to approve the measure because of a belief that some Illinois food stamp recipients are trading their benefits for money, drugs, and other illegal uses. The shift from paper food stamps to EBT cards (Illinois LINK Cards) helped to alleviate some of the stigma attached to receiving public aid. With this new photo requirement, the Illinois Senate Committee has managed to pile on even more stigma than paper food stamps ever caused. There have been several news articles written about this issue since the motion passed mid march, the following is a listing of some of those articles: Progressive Illinois - Bill would make it harder to use food stamps Central Illinois News Gazette - Bill on photos for LINK card...

San Diego Union-Tribune columnist, Logan Jenkins has called the Cal Fresh program a fraud - not necessarily the program itself, but he says the name is fraudulent. Cal Fresh is the new name for California's food stamp (SNAP Benefit) program - the state made the official change sometime in 2010. According to Jenkins, "Cal Fresh" is not a befitting name, because it conjures up images of happy families, eating healthy food. The reality of the typical American diet is anything and everything but "healthy," and most people who are receiving food stamps are not exactly "happy" to be in their situation I have to agree with Logan Jenkins, food stamps is a food assistance program for people who have fallen on hard times. The program should not be equated in any way to a "healthy lifestyle" choice; in a way, it might even be irresponsible for the folks up in Sacramento to allude to the program as such. Read Logan Jenkins' original article here:...

Greater MissionWorks, Inc. 705 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd., NW Atlanta, GA 30318 Atlanta Emergency Food Assistance #: (404) 881-6700 Description: This agency offers a food pantry and food stamp screening. Service hours: 24 hour voice mail available; callers must leave their name and telephone number in order to make an appointment Eligibility : low-income individuals or families, assist food stamps recipients, assist clients in subsidized housing Intake: telephone, appointment Documents Needed: Proof of residence or lease, does not need proof of legal status Fees/Cost: All Services are Free of Charge Counties Served : Butts, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, Rockdale

According to an Article in the New York Times, The Food Stamp program has kept nearly 250,000 New Yorkers from slipping into poverty during the height of the recession. Also touted for keeping residents out of poverty, were economic stimulus programs and initiatives aimed at sustaining family incomes. With all of the latest talk about recipient food stamp fraud, and shady store owners allowing fraud to exist in their stores, it is good to know that this particular antipoverty program is actually helping people of this country. You can check out the original article right here: Food Stamp and Tax Aid Kept Poverty Rate in Check.

The Lee-Stelzer Heritage Research Museum, Inc. operates a food pantry in the Atlanta metropolitan area that is designed for families with young children under the age of 5. The food pantry has existed for 31 years, and it operates under the guidance of Dr. Lee Walker, a local humanitarian who offers this service out of the goodness of her heart. Dr. Walker supports her food pantry by charging donations of non-perishable food items at her Heritage Museum which is located at 372 Sisson Avenue NE, inside of the Atlanta perimeter. If you live in Atlanta, and you need food assistance, please do not hesitate to contact (404) 373-6327 to find out if you qualify. Good Luck To You! I support Lee-Stelzer Heritage Research Museum Inc on Charity Blossom

According to an account reported in the San Diego City Times, some San Diego Food Stamp applicants are forced to undergo an actual at home "investigation" before they can be approved for SNAP benefits. A story is told form the prospective of a mother who recently applied; apparently, she was put through a dehumanizing experience as investigators went through her house and questioned her about her personal habits. They inquired about the amount of toothbrushes she had in her home, and they flipped over an air mattress and went through personal documents that had been lying underneath. Next, they proceeded to actually go through her dirty clothes hamper to make sure she wasn't committing food stamp fraud. The investigators never smiled at her or the children, they were stand-offish, and one of them acted as though he did not believe her when he questioned her about the amount of toothbrushes in her bathroom - can you believe that? This kind of horrible treatment is reminisc...

According to the Lincoln Journal Star, Omaha Senators Tanya Cook and Jeremy Nordquist would like to take some of the hassle out of applying for Nebraska food stamps. If Nebraska Bill LB543 passes, it would mean that people who apply for food stamps in Nebraska will not have to list their assets on their application. Approximately 36 other states have already realized that just because a person owns a car, it doesn't mean that they can simply go out and sell it for food. Proponents of LB543 do not offer a convincing argument, their main one being that SNAP applicants with three houses and a couple of Mercedes Benz cars might be tempted to apply if they have little or no income. First of all...yeah, right...because most people who are on food stamps have three houses and drive a Mercedes. And second, if a couple with a nice house and a nice car falls down on their luck (yes, it DOES happen), they should be able to apply for SNAP benefits just like anyone else. A big benefit of th...

C4Yourself is a website where you can apply for California food stamps (SNAP Benefits), Cash Assistance, and Medi-Cal. You can also check your food stamp and cash account balances as well. In order to use the site, you will need to register, and although most California counties participate in the program, there are still quite a few counties that have a different public assistance application process. The following counties DO NOT participate in the C4Yourself program (Since most counties in California participate, it is much easier to list those that do not): Alameda Contra Costa Fresno Los Angeles Orange Placer Sacramento San Diego San Francisco San Luis Obispo San Mateo Santa Barbara Santa Clara Santa Cruz Solano Sonoma Tulare Ventura Yolo According to the C4Yourself Web Site, it is much easier to apply for and access benefit information on their site than traditional government administered sites.

The Missouri Department of Social Services is in charge of the food stamp program therein. In order to apply for Missouri Food Stamps, you need to visit your local Missouri DSS office . To make things a little easier for you, you can download a Missouri Food Stamp Application and simply fill it out before you make your office visit. When I contacted a local representative in the Adiar County DSS office, I was told, very politely, that once you drop the application off, a representative will contact you to complete the process over the telephone. If you are experiencing a really rough time right now, you should contact your local office and inquire about expedited food stamps - in the meantime, you can also learn about about Food Assistance Programs , and find out what may be available in your area. Perhaps a local food bank or food pantry can keep you sustained until your benefits begin, or until you find the financial resources to support yourself. Likewise, to make sure that you...