""I was embarrassed," he says. "But the caseworker looked at my Harvard fleece and said, 'Don't be ashamed. This is a bridge from where you are to where you're going." Her comment changed his entire perspective on food assistance, he says. "People need help, and it doesn't look like one type of person. SNAP is a resource for all of us.""
"See if your state offers Double Up Food Bucks, a program that matches your SNAP EBT dollars to get twice the produce. "The goal is to make fresh, healthy food more accessible for low-income families," Curry says. Call the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Hunger Hotline to find the most up-to-date nearby food pantries and meal sites. The number is 1-866-3-HUNGRY (or 1-866-348-647), and operates Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET."
Kevin Curry used SNAP after graduating during the 2008 global recession and later founded Fit Men Cook, a community offering meal-prep tips and healthy, budget-friendly recipes. SNAP recipients faced benefit reductions and delays during a government shutdown, creating confusion and uncertainty about food access. Strategies to stretch food resources include using SNAP EBT with Double Up Food Bucks to double produce purchases, calling the USDA National Hunger Hotline (1-866-3-HUNGRY) to locate nearby pantries and meal sites, visiting multiple food pantries to find different items, and seeking discounts, deals, and low-cost grocery plans through social media.
Read at www.npr.org
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