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My family is on food stamps. We qualify for about $300 a month. Why would we want to buy bulk? Because buying a flat of 12 cans of refried beans (a staple, by the way) at Costco is much cheaper than buying 12 cans at Safeway. Bread is cheaper and can be frozen. Milk and eggs are cheaper. Meat is usually cheaper.Canned fruits and veggies are cheaper. And yes, occasionally I'd like to buy my children a little treat, and at Costco I can buy a big box of cookies far cheaper than a bag of cookies at Safeway. A lot of people think because you're on food stamps you have to prepare and eat food that is the absolute least expensive possible. Well, we're human beings. We want to have choices. We try to be responsible with those choices, but sometimes, especially if you're a parent, you want to treat your children and the most cost effective way to do that is to buy in bulk. Yes, I can buy all the ingredients to make cookies, but I also have to make most of our meals from scratch to save money, so having a prepackaged treat is a treat for all of us. We don't have a Walmart in this town, the closest is almost 30 miles away.
Am I some kind of degenerate who is cheating off the system and taking advantage of the tax payers? No. I am your sister. I am your neighbor. I am your best friend. I am your co-worker (when I can find a job). You sit next to me in church. You stand next to me when we help at the soup kitchen. Our children run and laugh and play together. Our husbands watch sports and fix the car in the driveway. You don't even know that times are so tough for us, that we have to be on food stamps in order to survive the month. You don't know that I no longer eat three meals a day, just so there is extra food for the kids. You don't know how many nights I've gone to bed hungry so my kids don't have to. You comment on how great I look now that I've lost weight, but I don't tell you how I've been forced to do it.
You invite us over for potluck, and we have to kindly decline your offer. Food stamps. That is why. That is why the kids don't have cupcakes to bring to the school bake sale. That is why the neighborhood kids are no longer invited to share cookies after school. That is why I can no longer bring a casserole or even a loaf of bread to a sick neighbor.
Every day I make sacrifices to keep healthy food on my table for my family. Every night I go to bed praying there will be enough for just one more day. Every day as the month rolls on, portions get smaller and smaller.
Would it help if Costco accepted food stamps? Hell yes.