My SNAP benefits for November arrived. Spreading word for others to check your balances as well. I don't want to assume everyone is getting theirs, but I can confirm that mine arrived.

Oops, I forgot the most important one: Rule 4: you must cook every single meal from scratch. Especially if you've just worked 3 shifts in a row and traveled round-trip for 2 hours to pick up the kids from school.

If you do NOT need food assistance: Rule 1: You should not choose your own foods. Ever. Even if you have food allergies. Rule 2: No "fine dining" on caviar, fresh produce, non-GMO items, lamb, sushi or margarita mix. Rule 3: No treats. No cookie, candy, soda, cake. Not ever.

👇

Comments like, "You should eat what you get, stop being picky," come from a deeply false notion that poor people choose poverty. If you're giving people food while making these comments, you're not helping. You're resenting us, not the system that made/keeps us poor.

Cut, cut off, pause, temporarily not fund, whatever, it's all the same to people who aren't eating this month

I don't think many people comprehend exactly how incredibly calculated it was for them to choose SNAP to cut.

Examples: "I need 2 more bags of groceries by tomorrow in midtown for a family of 4 with a gluten intolerance, DM me for more a list & more details" "Please call representatives, here's where to find your rep's #, here's a script"

Want to use your social media for SNAP stuff? Great! Use it to organize help & to end legislated poverty.

I keep seeing, "I saw someone post about being hungry yesterday so I gave them groceries" posts. Please don't post about keeping us fed for a pat on the back. You're helping us eat because the system is starving us. That isn't award-worthy.

If you're helping out folks who aren't getting SNAP next month (and possibly beyond), remember: 🧵

FYI: in some states you can purchase hot foods. In CA, for example, you can use SNAP at several fast food chains. That said, hot restaurant food is more expensive than at a grocery store is more expensive than a microwave at a convenience store. All are vital.

The SNAP Food Challenge is still a thing? Where financially stable people cosplay being poor for a month? You can't begin to know or display legislated poverty. Delete your: "I'm having lentil soup for 3 days this week" stunt posts & go. They're insulting.

Annual Halloween reminder: Disability is not a costume. It's an identity, a culture, a person's fact of life. Don't cosplay disability tomorrow. Or ever.

No one, and I mean NO ONE, should ever be hungry, much less starving

A frustrating thing that often arises when it comes to helping people is that often the giver wants control over what the recipient receives. Do you want people deciding what you eat? We don't either. So let's make sure that however you're helping allows us autonomy, OK?

There are so many more ways to help other than food-centered; right now we are pawns & it's as dehumanizing as not having enough to eat (or be able to afford our safest foods) every month. Just show us you see us as human in some way or another in addition to tangible help.

Other ways you can help: - transportation to food banks - volunteer at food banks - advocate for food bank accessibility, like curbside service, mask wearing, getting items for different dietary needs - call your congressmembers

If you're making batch food for strangers, share all the ingredients so people know whether its safe for their diets. If you're making food for individuals, make us something we enjoy AND follow our dietary needs & cooking safety needs to the T, especially for food allergies.

*NOTE* if we receive other public benefits, we may have asset limits that would affect them if we suddenly got more cash that we have to report (eg), so ask folks who are receiving other assistance what food delivery/access method will be safest/not put our benefits at risk.