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"The best way to know what the requirements are as to income and how much you may or may not be able to receive in your State, is by going online to your state's website. There you should find links concerning food stamps and poverty levels. Personally, due to illness I was reduced to earning $25.00 a week. I learned how to keep my bills paid, although I suffered from not eating a balanced diet. By going online I learned the poverty level in my state and what paperwork was needed and then went to the local Children & Family Services in my town. I was allotted $150.00 in food stamps and was able to earn up to $1025.00. If you have children there is more help available. Everything is based on income, but be sure to have all the backup paperwork as to how much you earn and how much money you have on hand as it speeds up the process. Some states now have enrollment online. However, the online form is confusing to say the least. I have found it easier to call and ask for the form to be mailed to me and then to return it in person." ~ Sandra "Here is a web site where you can find out if you qualify for food stamps and for how much. http://www.healthyhelpings.org/benefitcalc.htm" ~ Karen "My sister-in-law is on welfare, and to feed herself, her 2 kids, and her fiance, she drives from church to church in her area, collecting free food from their food pantries. She does get food stamps, which I think she uses at Walmart. I’m not advocating this at all, but I know that’s what she does." ~ Laura, NY "I lived in New York City for three years and made $6.75 and hour for 30 hours of work for a good chunk of it. For one person, I tried to keep my food budget to $40 per week. I paid $76 for transportation, and anywhere between $500-700 in housing costs (rent and utilities included). So I made $810 before taxes, and had expenses of $736 to $936 a month. So things were put on credit cards or I did with less food. I looked into applying for food stamps once, but the online system suggested that I would get only a minimal amount since I was single. I had bad credit, so my credit card was small and I wouldn't have been able to get more. I was going to school full time, so was able to use student loans to some extent. Peanut butter and jelly and rice and beans were my friends. And sometimes I went to bed early so I didn't have to make dinner." ~ Catherine "Judy may want to check out http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/foodplans.html to see what the USDA thinks food should cost. I think there may also be some information on Food Stamps at that site." ~ Dianne "The
average American family spends between 10-15% of their monthly
income on food, which is considerably less than the rest of
the world." ~ Perez Editor's Note: Thanks to these subscribers for taking the time to respond. |
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