Last year, U. Oregon senior Anna Crist posted on her Facebook page: “Got approved for foodstamps! Maybe this will encourage healthy eating and more eating in general… Yay!”
Within a few hours, the comment thread on her status exploded.
Some people on the thread expressed dismay that a college student would be using food stamps. Others rallied behind Crist, defending her use of food stamps.
Crist was surprised.
“It started this whole debate,” she said. “Some people were really happy for me because they knew I could eat better now, but others were saying I should feel grateful because I didn’t really deserve it.”
Crist comes from a low-income family and receives approximately $200 a month from the food stamp program, which was renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP in 2010. More than 82,000 people in Lane County receive benefits through SNAP, and many college students use the federal program.
SNAP is meant to assist those with low incomes meet their nutritional needs. Those eligible can apply for benefits and receive a budget every month that can be spent only on groceries. The benefits cannot be used to buy alcohol, heated food or nonfood items like soap or toothbrushes.
Full-time college students who work more than 20 hours a week, qualify for work-study or care for children are all eligible to apply. Students who are half-time or more and do any amount of work-study also qualify.
Beneficiaries receive money through the Electronic Benefit Transfer system and use an “Oregon Trail” card that can be swiped like a debit card at any grocery store or farmer’s market. The program hasn’t used actual stamps since 1998.
Jessica Chanay, deputy director for Partners for Hunger-Free Oregon, believes the stereotype needs to be challenged.
“It’s true that the program does have some stigma associated with it, but being on food stamps is a common U.S. experience,” Chanay said. “Half the people in our country are going to be on this program at one point. Maybe as children, maybe as seniors, but look out the window and half the population have used SNAP or will use it.”
Crist believes the program should be seen as viable option for students who qualify.
“I don’t think people should view it as a negative,” she said. “There’s an application process. It helps people who qualify for it, and it helps people who need it.”
Five months after being approved, Crist is happy to be using SNAP and believes the program is a benefit to college students.
“I really enjoy not having to worry about going to the grocery store and not being able to get things I need because I need to save the money for rent or bills,” Crist said. “This way I can get really healthy food instead of something cheap like Ramen.”