#Food Assistance

[vexedsystem]

Help Needed!

We're an autistic transmasc system and are really short on money again, and won't be receiving any more funds until May.

Right now we only have $4.96 left after paying for April's rent, and our phone bill of $58.75 unpaid.

On top of that we're just about out of cat food, groceries, etc.

If anyone can spare anything or reblog to signal boost, we'd be really grateful!

ko-fi @ vexedspecter

[bethanyberg]

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted much here. I'm still trapped in the eternal grind of just trying to survive.

I'm currently stuck in a really bad spot where I managed to find a housekeeping job, but the paychecks don't really kick in for a bit and I'm not sure how I'm going to pay for my food and bills for the next two weeks. I set up a new ko-fi goal for that to maybe try and scrape together enough to cover things. Yeah it's some pretty big bills and also damn food is so expensive.

Any tiny bit helps. I know we're all struggling right now though, so if you're not able to pitch in then reblogging still does wonders.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Abby Vesoulis at Mother Jones:

Dr. Leilah Zahedi-Spung spent four years in medical school, four years in an OB-GYN residency, and three years in a maternal-fetal medicine fellowship learning how to care for high-risk pregnant patients. In her decade-plus of medical training, she learned that in some cases, the only rational and responsible option for medical intervention is an emergency abortion. In July 2021 she moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and discovered she was the sole provider in her area trained to perform second-trimester dilatation and evacuation abortions for patients who needed them to survive.

But in 2022, the Supreme Court delivered its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, and Tennessee’s trigger ban—written in preparation for the possibility that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe—went into effect a month later. Suddenly, providing an abortion in Tennessee became an immediate Class C felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. There were no exceptions, even when an abortion was necessary to save a life or prevent serious bodily harm. Only after being arrested could a physician provide something called an “affirmative defense” to fight the charges. (Eight months after the trigger law took effect, the GOP governor signed a bill allowing abortions in limited medical emergencies.)

Given her unique work, which also includes genetic testing and live deliveries, Zahedi-Spung felt as if she wore a bull’s-eye on her back. She hired a criminal defense attorney—just in case—and immediately began looking for a maternal-fetal medicine position out of state. She didn’t want to leave Tennessee at all, she says, but her goal was “to not go to jail.”  Relocating for work isn’t a novel concept, but in the age of unfettered abortion restrictions, there has been an exodus of OB-GYNs from abortion-banned states, and dwindling interest among future OB-GYNs to settle in those states. The result is worsening health outcomes for the vulnerable patients and moms who remain. 

“As more clinicians leave those states, as more maternity care deserts happen, we will see poorer outcomes,” says Dr. Stella Dantas, an OB-GYN in Oregon and the president-elect of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “And I do think we will see more maternal mortality just by the sheer fact that we won’t have providers even trained to take care of some of these obstetric emergencies.” Indeed, 64 percent of practicing OB-GYNs who responded to a KFF (formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation) survey said the Dobbs ruling has worsened maternal mortality.  In the before times, a high-risk obstetrics patient might consider having an abortion to nearly eliminate their potential maternal health risks, or even just seek more frequent monitoring to decrease them. But what happens when there are fewer clinicians left to treat sicker pregnant patients—and higher numbers of them—as birth rates rise in abortion-banned states? Data from states tell the story.

Even before outright abortion bans, the states that eventually restricted the medical procedure had higher rates of pregnancy-related deaths, sicker patient populations, and less access to maternal and preventative health care, according to data from KFF and Surgo Ventures, a nonprofit that researches health and social issues.

[...]

The care deserts will disproportionately affect low-income people and people of color. In her new maternal-fetal health role in Colorado, Zahedi-Spung says many of her dilatation and evacuation patients travel to her from Texas, Oklahoma, and Idaho because of unworkable abortion laws there. Given the current reproductive health care landscape, they are the lucky ones. She fears others in abortion-restricted states lack the resources to travel.

“We know that privileged people will always have access to abortion. We know that they will always have access to health care,” says Monica Simpson, the executive director of Sister Song, one of the oldest reproductive justice organizations in the country. For everyone else, Simpson says, “thousands of people are falling through the cracks.” Further, the states restricting abortion are also less likely to have social support benefits to help moms and children. For example, 10 of the 13 states that rejected federal funds for low-income kids to get summer food assistance have banned abortion, either beyond six weeks or at conception. “Those same people who are anti-choice are the ones who want to cut welfare,” says Zahedi-Spung. “They’re the same ones who don’t want to provide food stamps. They’re the same ones who don’t want to expand birth control options.” 

The Dobbs ruling in 2022 has led to an increased rate in maternal mortality, particularly in states that have strict abortion bans.

[transfloridaresources]

[Photo ID: Pink to yellow gradient background. Text reads: 'Need to raise $900 by April 1, 2024. Black, non-binary, transfeminine community member needs help to pay house & food bills. Also seeking LGBT friendly employment in St. Pete area! Please DM. Paypal: tinyurl.com/AngelJules Cash App: $AngelJamieJules.' /End ID]

[geargoyle]

I am so so happy that this went through. I know we were sharing the comment links when this was being proposed. And it WORKED! One step at a time we can make things better!

[shippyprincess]

Can anyone spare a few dollars for groceries? 😔

I have ven mo and pay pal, or can take a Walmart gift card

Update: We're low on kitten kibble as well. :( We just need enough to get through the weekend!!!

logicalmoose@gmail.com

Paypal

[gothicayomi]

Hie guys, so I finally got a job now and I’m moving into a temporary housing place till I get a permanent home… however I don’t have any money until I get paid this Friday which is also the day I have to move due to my living situation. I’m not asking for too much, just some cash to get me some food and some bus passes cuz ya homie has 61 cents to their name 🙃

P4y pal and v3n mo usernames are both @ keiodeine

Also thanks so much to everyone who has helped me out recently. Your kindness means the world to me especially bc my own family wouldn’t help me :(

Pls rb if you can! I’d be so grateful!

[spooniestrong]

Full Cart®, our Virtual Food Bank, is dedicated to providing food with dignity and discretion for families in need.

[odinsblog]

"Congress must pass the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) in order to prevent a cataclysmic default that would disproportionately harm Black communities. At the same time, it is critical that Congress reject specific provisions before final passage. The FRA would end the student loan payment pause, which provides a vital economic stimulus to millions of students. Black women bear the highest comparative levels of student debt relief because they invest in education at a significant cost. They also pay taxes. To argue, therefore, that the current student debt relief is a giveaway from taxpayers is to use a racist talking point.

The FRA would also hobble the ability of Black communities to combat environmental racism by foreclosing, under the guise of permitting reform, a key use of National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) provisions to ensure projects have factored in foreseeable community harms. Such harms would result from the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which would be fast-tracked by overriding community concerns in the current FRA. Congress must reject these provisions as well as a new PAYGO requirement that would block agencies from addressing pressing social needs. Finally, Congress must reject the amoral barter that cuts IRS funds intended to protect wealthy tax cheats while imposing onerous new work requirements on certain TANF and SNAP recipients.

Let's be clear: while the original intent of the debt ceiling was to solve a practical challenge of paying the nation's bills during World War I, it has become a weapon used by conservative extremists to hold the lives and livelihoods of Black America – and countless others – hostage. The NAACP calls on Congress and the Administration to end this practice before it can again be used to inflict more harm on Black America."

—NAACP President & CEO, Derrick Johnson; Republicans routinely use their manufactured “debt crisis” to weaken the social safety net because of the (correct) perception it disproportionately harms Black people and other marginalized communities

[macgyvermedical]

Timeline of SNAP Changes at the End of the Public Health Emergency

So way back when the pandemic started, the US government ramped up SNAP. Not by a ton, but they did provide some “extra” benefits (emergency allotment, extra money for people with children who normally received free or reduced-priced lunches) and made it easier to enroll in SNAP for certain people (students and non-working adults).

Like the Medicaid allowances during the pandemic, these are largely ending March-August 2023.

The major changes are as follows:

MARCH: If you are considered to be an able-bodied adult without children, you will again have a time limit for receiving SNAP. You may also again have a work requirement to receive SNAP.

MARCH: The “Emergency Allotment” (extra SNAP funds) that started early in the pandemic for most SNAP recipients will end in late March 2023.

MAY: If you have kids who qualify for free or reduced-priced meals at childcare centers, and were receiving money to cover the cost of meals at home for parents temporarily working from home, this money will end May 13th 2023 (the assumption being that all children who are going back to daycare are back in daycare, and parents aren’t paying for lunches at home on daycare days).

JULY: If you are a college student, you will no longer be eligible for SNAP unless you meet pre-pandemic guidelines starting in July 2023.

AUGUST: If you have kids that qualify for free or reduced-priced meals at school, and were receiving money to cover the cost of meals at home during virtual school, you will no longer receive that money starting fall semester 2023 (the assumption being that all children are back in the classroom and the risk that they will go virtual again is low- so parents are no longer at risk of having to pay for weekday breakfast and/or lunches).

[clearpvc]

Grocery Money Help Needed!

My partner and i have been experiencing a lot of medical costs and missed work for appointments and sickness and are struggling heavily to afford groceries and bills and would appreciate any and all help to afford food for the house

Right now we are $45 short for bills with nothing left for groceries and we are trying to figure out assistance for the bill aspect but wanted to make a post to see if anyone has spare cash they could provide to help us get food since we are very low right now and the food assistance program here requires an unlivable income to qualify

Either of us would gladly draw something in return, if you can donate thats insanely appreciated but if not sharing is also appreciated

Below is our various online payment methods:

paypal- p3ndr460n

venmo- worldstarmoneyinterlude

cashapp- $p3ndr460n

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

I haven't been able to find a job in over 2 months, so I applied for food assistance last week. I got a letter yesterday telling me to register my account and interview to establish my eligibility by logging on to a website that does not exist yet. It is under construction and will be available "late fall 2023," but every single phone number I call redirects me to the same page. I got an email with instructions that are impossible to follow.

Using a computer or device with internet access click on this link, okay, easy enough, I'm with you so far

In the "Access your Benefits" section click on "Login or Create Account," failed step 2, there is no "Access your Benefits" section on that link. The link redirects to an FAQ page about the upcoming website. It doesn't have any login fields ANYWHERE! I cannot create an account because THE WEBSITE DOESN'T EXIST!

The phone number they told me to call has a full mailbox and the answering machine tells me to call a completely different number that appears to be out of service because the only option is to listen to hold music and be told every 45 seconds to change my account settings to get paperless notifications on the nonexistent website. I'm supposed to talk to someone between the hours of 11AM and 1PM before November 20th, or my application will be rejected, but there's no way to talk to a human, no button prompts, no instructions, just an endless hold-music loop.

This is fucking stupid.

[jupitervega]

pls help

hi it's me ri, one of the gay lil ppl who live in yr phone. rly don't wanna ebeg again but my ui benefits are on hold until they verify my move & it's been like 3wk now i haven't gotten paid. i've got less than $4 to survive on until they get everything untangled. food stamps & medicaid are applied for & i'm waitin to hear back from them hopefully soon. gettin what assistance i can from a local food bank but i can only choose from the pantry there 2x/month. until i can get ui ironed out &/or i find a job, i'm about out of gas & toilet paper & a bunch of other stuff i can't get at the food pantry. please, anything helps

ca: $jupitervega

vmo: jupitervega

ppl

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Marina Bolotnikova at Vox:

Every five years, farm state politicians in Congress perform their fealty to Big Ag in a peculiar ritual called the Farm Bill: a massive, must-pass package of legislation that dictates food and farming policy in the US. 

At the urging of the pork industry, congressional Republicans want to use this year’s bill to undo what little progress the US has made in improving conditions for animals raised on factory farms. The House Agriculture Committee late last month advanced a GOP-led Farm Bill with a rider designed to nullify California’s Proposition 12 — a landmark ballot measure, passed by an overwhelming majority in that state in 2018, banning extreme farm animal confinement — and prevent other states from enacting similar laws.  Prop 12, along with a comparable law in Massachusetts passed by ballot measure in 2016, outlaws the sale of pork produced using gestation crates — devices that represent perhaps the pinnacle of factory farm torture. While many of the tools of factory farming are the product of biotech innovation, gestation crates are deceptively low-tech: They’re simply small cages that immobilize mother pigs, known as sows, who serve as the pork industry’s reproductive machines.  Sows spend their lives enduring multiple cycles of artificial insemination and pregnancy while caged in spaces barely larger than their bodies. It is the equivalent to living your entire, short life pregnant and trapped inside a coffin. 

Ian Duncan, an emeritus chair in animal welfare at the University of Guelph in Canada, has called gestation crates “one of the cruelest forms of confinement devised by humankind.” And yet they’re standard practice in the pork industry.  While Prop 12 has been celebrated as one of the strongest farm animal protection laws in the world, its provisions still fall far short of giving pigs a humane life. It merely requires providing enough space for the sows to be able to turn around and stretch their legs. It still allows the use of farrowing crates, cages similar to gestation crates that confine sows and their nursing piglets for a few weeks after birth. And about 40 percent of pork sold in California is exempt; Prop 12 covers only whole, uncooked cuts, like bacon or ribs, but not ground pork or pre-cooked pork in products like frozen pizzas.  The pork lobby refuses to accept even those modest measures and has sought to link Prop 12 to the agenda of “animal rights extremists.” It has also claimed that the law would put small farms out of business and lead to consolidation, even though it is the extreme confinement model favored by mega factory farms that has driven the skyrocketing level of consolidation seen in the pork industry over the last few

For nearly six years, instead of taking steps to comply with Prop 12, pork lobbyists sued to get the law struck down. They lost at every turn. Last year, the US Supreme Court rejected the industry’s argument that it had a constitutional right to sell meat raised “in ways that are intolerable to the average consumer,” as legal scholars Justin Marceau and Doug Kysar put it. 

[...]

Overturning Prop 12 would be extreme, and it could have far-reaching consequences

Several other states have gestation crate bans, but the California and Massachusetts laws are unique because they outlaw not just the use of crates within those states’ borders, but also the sale of pork produced using gestation crates anywhere in the world. Both states import almost all of their pork from bigger pork-producing states (the top three are Iowa, Minnesota, and North Carolina), so the industry has argued that Prop 12 and Massachusetts’ Question 3 unfairly burden producers outside their borders. California in particular makes up about 13 percent of US pork consumption, threatening to upend the industry’s preferred way of doing business for a big chunk of the market. 

The California and Massachusetts laws also ban the sale of eggs and veal from animals raised in extreme cage confinement. Both industries opposed Prop 12 before it passed but have largely complied with the law; neither has put up the fierce legal fight that the pork industry has, led by Big Meat lobbying groups like the National Pork Producers Council, the North American Meat Institute, and the American Farm Bureau Federation. 

House Agriculture Committee chair Glenn Thompson (R-PA), who introduced this year’s House Farm Bill last month, touts “addressing Proposition 12” as a core priority. The legislation includes a narrowed version of the EATS Act (short for Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression), a bill introduced by Republicans in both chambers last year to ban states from setting their own standards for the production of any agricultural products, animal or vegetable, imported from other states. 

The Farm Bill language has been tightened to focus solely on livestock, banning states from setting standards for how animal products imported from other states are raised. It is less extreme only in comparison to the sweeping EATS Act, but also more transparent about its aim to shield the meat industry from accountability. At the Farm Bill markup on May 23, when the legislation passed committee, Thompson urged his colleagues to protect the livestock industry from “inside-the-beltway animal welfare activists.”  The provisions slipped into the Farm Bill may have consequences that reach far beyond the humane treatment of animals. They “could hamstring the ability of states to regulate not just animal welfare but also the sale of meat and dairy products produced from animals exposed to disease, with the use of certain harmful animal drugs, or through novel biotechnologies like cloning, as well as adjacent production standards involving labor, environmental, or cleanliness conditions,” Kelley McGill, a legislative policy fellow at Harvard’s Animal Law & Policy Program who authored an influential report last year on the potential impacts of the EATS Act, told me in an email. 

[...]

Why this Farm Bill faces long odds

Despite the monumental effort from the pork lobby and its allies, the odds of this year’s Farm Bill nullifying Prop 12 appear slim. Democrats, who control the Senate, oppose the House bill’s proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which makes up about 80 percent of the bill’s $1.5 trillion in spending, and its removal of so-called climate-smart conditions from farm subsidies made available by the Inflation Reduction Act. Members of the House Freedom Caucus, on the other hand, are likely to demand steeper cuts to SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. 

The broader EATS Act has been opposed by more than 200 members of Congress, including more than 100 Democratic representatives and several members of the Freedom Caucus; Prop 12 nullification language is not included in the rival Senate Farm Bill framework introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). Many lawmakers and other observers consider the House bill dead on arrival, which would mean that a Farm Bill may not get passed until 2025.  Prop 12’s pork regulations, meanwhile, took full effect in California at the start of this year after two years of delay due to the industry’s legal challenges. After implementation, prices for pork products covered by the law abruptly increased by about 20 percent on average, a spike that UC Davis agricultural economist Richard Sexton attributes to the pork producers’ reluctance to convert their farms to gestation crate-free before they knew whether Prop 12 would be upheld by the Supreme Court. 

House Republicans want to use the Farm Bill to push back against even modest improvements for animals in factory farms.

[transfloridaresources]

$120/$900 raised as of 03/24/2024. Please keep boosting & donating! 💞

[Photo ID: Pink to yellow gradient background. Text reads: 'Need to raise $900 by April 1, 2024. Black, non-binary, transfeminine community member needs help to pay house & food bills. Also seeking LGBT friendly employment in St. Pete area! Please DM. Paypal: tinyurl.com/AngelJules Cash App: $AngelJamieJules.' /End ID]

[apothheosis]

MUTUAL AID REQUEST - HELP A TRANS LATINO AFFORD FOOD

I was supposed to receive food stamps this week + financial aid from my college, but I haven’t gotten any of them yet, and actually had to reapply for my food stamps so they’ll be delayed at least a week, if not more. I cannot afford food. I have 2$ to my name. I was hoping financial aid would come and that would give me a cushion if food stamps didn’t go through, but now I’m in a really tight spot. The last of my food will be gone by tomorrow.

Please, please help in any way you can, even if that just means sharing. It’s hugely appreciated.

cashapp: $deadmallgoth

venmo: deadmallgoth

paypal: judasvalentine@protonmail.com