We have all hit rock bottom at some point in our lives and sometimes we have to take whatever help we can get such as public assistance. I was forced to go on food stamps about 10 years ago, when my son was real small and I was still a single mom. Times were tough and jobs were scarce then too, at least in Louisiana. All I seemed to find there were waitressing jobs where I would make chump change. When those ran out I was able to get a job at WalMart, which was embarrassing with my college degree that I was beginning to feel like was a waste. One thing I remember besides being forced to do the stupid WalMart cheer, which I NEVER felt pumped about, was the starving wages the employees there get. It’s really sad when you walk through the music department and dream of the day you can afford to by a new CD – rock bottom. If you’ve ever been on food stamps you have to know how embarrassing it is but then I found out that most of the people that I worked at WalMart with were on them too. When I shopped anywhere else with my card it was very hush hush. That was something I only kept to myself. I did not shout it from the rooftops nor was I proudly wipping out my card for the cashier and I definitely didn’t want anybody in line to see that I didn’t have a credit card but an ebt card. I knew what they’re thinking – that I was lazy and pitiful. I may have been pitiful but I have never been lazy. The bright side was that me and my son were eating. Though the card didn’t totally cover my food budget, it did help. Then, mercifully, I got hired on with a GM supplier with good money and benefits. Needless to say, they yanked the food stamps out of my hands as fast as they could, which was okay since I was no longer considered needy. I don’t judge anyone that goes on public assistance if they need it. I do begrudge someone having designer handbags, and iphones. It’s there as a safety net, not a way of life. I came across an article where a food stamp recipient was belittled in front of other customers, prompted me to write this article. You can read it here.
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