I have completed my paperwork, and I am officially a recipient of good will and charity. That is, I now receive SNAP funds from the commonwealth. SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but it is better known as food stamps.
I wrote a while back about filling out forms, and now that I have completed the process, it wasn't too bad. I had to send in documentation proving residency (copy of the lease with my name on it - this also proved how much I spent in rent), 4 pay stubs, proof of employment and payment arrangements from another employer, a copy of a utility bill, and a signed statement from a roommate regarding how much I pay for utilities. I ended up sending two of my utility bills just to show how much I spent total.
The only down side is that it is a lot to gather and send. I have people who took pity on my and let me FAX, but it totaled about 16 pages of documentation! I also had an employer who needed a little reminder about the urgency of sending information in.
All in all, it's not too bad of a process. Yes, there are hard moments in asking for documentation. Using my card the first time was not easy either. However, I now have food in my stomach and money to pay bills. It may be better to give rather than receive, but I am learning to receive with a joyful heart as well. For those of you who do make enough to pay taxes, please know that your money supports programs like this.
I would like to point out that the SNAP program only pays for certain items - it does not cover everything. I have encountered people who think it pays for alcohol, tobacco, hair dye, pet food, etc... It does not. It only pays for certain consumables. If you want to know more about the program, type "SNAP, [your state]" into your favorite search engine.
No comments:
Post a Comment