Who really uses SNAP?

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Many people believe that the only people who use SNAP, commonly known as food stamps, are the extremely impoverished. These people are thought to have no other form of income and are totally desperate. However, you may be surprised at how many people use food stamps.

Venison leg on applesauce with dumbling and vegetable63% of kids in St. Louis are on SNAP, along with 36% of adults in that city. 3 in 10 people who live in the Bronx need federal assistance in filling (or attempting to fill) their pantries. People who are in school and trying to receive a higher education are on SNAP. As many millennials graduate and enter the workforce, they find that they still need to apply for SNAP.

Isn’t it the goal of everyone to be independent? To not have to rely on anyone and to forge their own path? With the current cycle of poverty, it seems as though the rich get richer while the poor stay poor, trying to keep up with increasing cost of living.

So, what is the solution? It is thought by many that once you have a diploma in your hand and a starting level job that you will ultimately have success. However, the truth is not nearly as idyllic. It is easy to be pessimistic when reality seems dim. But it is at this time when we overcome.

Difficulty and challenge are what drive the American dream, and when it seems hazy we must remember who we are as a whole. We are a nation of workers and fighters, of innovators and leaders, and of those who question the way things are in return for how things should be. It can only be asked of us to remember our goal.

Interested in PathWays PA Policy blog posts on similar topics?

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