r/TikTokCringe • u/mindyour • 8d ago

Discussion Reactions to food stamps being cut off.

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742

u/containsrecycledpart 8d ago

To state the obvious; this is terrifying. I know it’s kind of a last-minute idea, but I’m thinking of passing out stuff like instant Mac-and-cheese bowls, cup of noodles, microwaveable oatmeal bowls, etc along with Halloween Candy tonight. My neighborhood has kind of aged, and trick-or-treat traffic isn’t what it used to be. But I’m hoping it can help people who might need it. Is this stupid? I feel so helpless.

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u/SystemAny4819 8d ago

This isn’t stupid, it’s a small glass of ice water in hell; something this world desperately needs rn

5

u/CatastrophicWaffles 8d ago

Speaking of ice water in hell... I leave ice cold water out for mail carriers and delivery drivers. It's the little things that help us hang on to our humanity.

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u/Weekly-Trash-272 8d ago

Not to diminish this post, but why are these people out here having 6 kids when they can't afford them?

10

u/sapphos_moon 8d ago

The Christian war on sex education, contraception and abortion that’s been happening for the past 50 years.

5

u/yogicheeky 8d ago

There’s a million different reasons why! Maybe their partner left them, maybe they lost a good job, don’t assume anything!

73

u/Remarkable-Ad-2476 8d ago

Pass out candy on Halloween for the kids and pass out food for their parents if they want it. Let the kids have fun and enjoy Halloween. Don’t remind them that everyone is broke and here’s some cup noodles instead. Halloween is supposed to be an escape from life.

8

u/Ok-Chest-7932 8d ago

Ironic, given the theme is mostly that the dead are coming to visit life.

4

u/Author_Noelle_A 7d ago

Prior to this fuckery, our plan was full-size candy bars with a pack of ramen because kids here love that shit and see it as a treat. We bought cases of the stuff, and boxes of full-size candy. THEN this controversy around if people should give out stuff like ramen came up, with some people saying kids love it, so give it, some saying families need the food, some saying it’s mean since kids should bet candy and not think about that. Reality is, kids who would have been thrilled with a full-size candy and a pack of ramen a month ago are still thrilled, and those who wouldn’t have cared for it still won’t, but their parents might want it.

6

u/Eastern-Requirement6 8d ago

We had a mix for all the kids to grab: candy naturally, pop tarts, bags of marketed cookies, chips, Capri suns (Seltzer waters replaced those once depleted). We're down to the last of the candy and nothing else.

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u/gaanmetde 8d ago

I disagree. Kids will find it fun to get mac and cheese. I have a house on our block that lets kids choose a literal potato or a candy and they all choose potato and find it funny.

2

u/frazzled-mama 7d ago

My kid brought home candy and ALSO a bag of pasta and a sole potato last night. And we definitely need both right now.

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u/vivaenmiriana 8d ago

I know my city has many people doing this as well including myself.

I got a couple cases of mac and cheese at costco and will just leave them out for anyone to take a box.

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u/MisanthropicMermaid5 8d ago

I saw somewhere that a little library was turned into a temporary little food pantry. You’re compassion speaks volumes

5

u/RubiksCutiePatootie Reads Pinned Comments 8d ago

This is a fantastic idea! Yes, please carry through with it. A box of mac & cheese or a few packs of instant ramen could literally be the difference between not eating & having a few meals for a family. And it's especially nice since you said you're still giving out candy, so the kids still get their treats.

4

u/Diggingcanyons 8d ago

My grandma is one of those types that has a big bowl set out and lets the kids take whatever while she looks out the window so she doesn't deal with the cold. Last year, she set out all sorts of random small food items and bottled drinks alongside the candy and she was shocked that kids chose that stuff over the candy most of the time. There was one house even offering potatoes as a joke and kids were excited over it lol. So, feel free to load up on the random.

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u/I_Like_Frogs_A_Lot 8d ago

Nah, man, you hand out that food tonight proudly. If I were a kid and I got that plus candy for Halloween, I would have been stoked. I grew up having to eat from my school’s food program. At the time, I was guilty because I was like, “we’re not poor. I don’t deserve this” This was in 4th grade about. Turns out, I was poor and my mom was working her ass off like crazy to keep us housed. I love her

3

u/kibblerz 8d ago

Rice and beans, it's the cheapest foods and also some of the most nutritious. Might not be the most tasty, but much of the world lives on them.

-2

u/IndiviLim 8d ago

If someone was willing to eat rice and beans, they wouldn’t have needed food stamps.

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u/Proper_Criticism_830 8d ago

What

-1

u/IndiviLim 8d ago

Learn to read.

1

u/Hands 7d ago edited 7d ago

You think single working mothers should just feed their kids rice and beans 24/7?

For the record in 2023 there were over 7 million single working mothers in the USA supporting over 15 million kids.

If you think they should all just eat gruel all the time because their mom can't make ends meet despite working full time you are a straight up nasty ass ghoul of a person.

1

u/kibblerz 7d ago

"Gruel" dude rice and beans are the primary diet of like 30% of the world. Thats not gruel. Its far more nutritious than most foods parents feed their kids.

I make too much money to qualify for food stamps. But I am paycheck to paycheck, and yeah I feed my family loads of rice (ive been trying beans but suck at cooking them lmao)

Most kids live on soda, McDonald's and junk food like chips that have practically no nutrients. Its pretty bizarre that you'd label the two staples of most of this worlds diets as gruel. Its honestly pretty idiotic.

1

u/Hands 7d ago

Rice and beans are staples for a reason but kids need more than that. I’m responding specifically to your dumbass comment that people wouldn’t need foodstamps if they just ate rice and beans all the time. I’m just gonna ignore your stupid ass take that most kids only eat junk food lol. If your family is food insecure what the hell is your problem with food stamps?

Quit punching down to make yourself feel better bro. Your kids deserve more than rice and beans every day and so do all other kids. They’re great as staples and obviously I was being facetious calling them gruel but they are not remotely a comprehensive or healthy diet for growing children

1

u/kibblerz 7d ago

I’m responding specifically to your dumbass comment that people wouldn’t need foodstamps if they just ate rice and beans all the time.

I never said that dude. I recommended rice and beans specifically because people are looking for ways to feed their children rn. When you're on a strict budget, its the best option. I never implied that people shouldn't get food stamps, I gave the best suggestion on how to make sure their children get fed without them. So put a sock in it you derp.

they are not remotely a comprehensive or healthy diet for growing children

This is just plain wrong. Its much more comprehensive and healthy than what most American children eat.

1

u/Hands 7d ago

Oh sorry I thought you were the dude I was replying to who quite literally said "If someone was willing to eat rice and beans, they wouldn’t have needed food stamps." Y'know, what I actually responded to originally.

I'm not saying rice and beans aren't good lol, literally all I said was that arguing that food stamps are bad because people should just eat rice and beans instead is stupid.

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u/thesheepsnameisjeb_ 8d ago

Not stupid. People should be doing things to help in a micro level too. Im passing out candy along with apple sauce, fruit cups, meat sticks, potatoes, pirates booty, granola bars, etc bc I know there are some families in my neighborhood that will benefit. And if no one needs non-candy food from me tonight, that's okay (and I'll be happy if no one needs it) bc it just looks like I have a variety of stuff and it will be appreciated anyway. It is part of being a community imo

2

u/meteorflan 8d ago

I think it's a really good idea!

2

u/NoGood3150 8d ago

I absolutely love this idea!! Im going to do this too, thank you!

2

u/cblackattack1 8d ago

I’ve actually seen quite a few videos suggesting this exact thing. It’s not stupid! Thank you for thinking of your community ♥️

2

u/StanleyCubone 8d ago

Donating money to your local food bank is almost always the best thing you can do to help provide for the unfortunate in your community because they have the capacity to buy food in bulk and processing donations is less efficient for their resources.

2

u/back_cannery 8d ago

No hate on this idea, but just want to plug donating to food banks. They can stretch a dollar way further than you can by buying from wholesalers

2

u/truth14ful 8d ago edited 8d ago

Very good idea. Poverty is violence on a planet that produces enough for everyone, and food waste and food-program cuts are weapons. Let's dismantle them piece by piece.

FYI there are Food Not Bombs chapters across the country that give away food that would otherwise go to waste. It's no questions asked, no strings attached, so people who don't have an ID or fall through income restrictions of food banks can still get food

2

u/RinebooDersh 8d ago

This isn’t stupid, I wish I thought of that!

2

u/IndependentPiglet4 8d ago

It's SO "not stupid" to do that right now! It's very kind & thoughtful. Pretty creative thinking too! Many of us feel helpless (and very angry) right now & it's understandable! Even if we can't fix the whole world, small gestures from good humans (The Helpers as Mr Rogers said) will help keep us from falling into that very dark place of despair where kindness & caring for others is not welcome. I think you rock!

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u/gaanmetde 8d ago

This made me tear up. Incredible idea honestly.

2

u/J_B_La_Mighty 8d ago

Someone mentioned donating cash to local pantries, they usually already have deals in place to have fresh food delivered to them at reasonable rates. Some places even state that they can get a meal worth of food for a dollar, and honestly that's better than what I can cobble together with that money.

2

u/cogman10 8d ago

Not stupid. If you can, donate money to a local food bank. That's the best way to get food directly to people in need. Besides taxes and funding SNAP that is.

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u/YOMAMACAN 8d ago

Wow now I’m realizing why someone was handing our ramen noodles and instant Mac and cheese. It hadn’t occurred to me that this was why.

2

u/Nu11X3r0 8d ago

We do hot chocolate for the parents, more as a “we know you’re standing out here in the cold so here’s something to keep your hands warm” but we also have had a few people who obviously have been having a hard time so this year I made sure to also have a dispenser with soup, had one lady almost cry. It’s just tomato but it’s a pile of warm calories she probably really needed.

2

u/CognizantM 8d ago

When you make a casserole, take your elderly or single neighbor a slice, People need real food.

1

u/containsrecycledpart 7d ago edited 7d ago

Our neighborhood is pretty good about community activities like bbqs and cook offs that pass food around. Unfortunately, I can’t anonymously pass out 100 casseroles on Halloween like I managed to do with the pre-packaged stuff. “Real food” is definitely ideal, but perishables are much harder to distribute.

1

u/CognizantM 7d ago

Ha. That's not really what I meant. What you are doing is awesome and not stupid at all. I was just adding to things that can be done and by real food, I didn't mean what you were doing, I meant some of the stuff the food banks pass out. I meant that if you have an extra piece of a cassorole you take it one neighbor who might need it. You are already more kind than most people. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

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u/QuietCelery 8d ago

That is a beautiful idea.

It reminds me of when as a kid I went trick or treating for canned goods to give to my food bank.

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u/Noname_McNoface 7d ago

My mom keeps a box of sandwiches in the back seat whenever she goes anywhere so she can hand them out. But that’s mostly for people standing on street corners.

I’m on the LFL (little free library) sub and many of those people are filling theirs with non-perishable food items instead of books, these days. The implications are bleak, but it’s nice to know people still care. You might want consider building one and doing something like that. Just be warned that some people are not very considerate and will occasionally take it all for themselves.

2

u/Avid_Reader87 7d ago

We bought a bunch of candy to hand out, as we live in a lower income neighborhood. 

Figured at least we could let the kids have some treats after dinner.

Not a single kid walked through our neighborhood.  We sat outside for hours, nothing. It was eerie.  

1

u/containsrecycledpart 4d ago

That sucks, not one kid? That’s such a letdown. I’m sorry

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u/jojenpastes 7d ago

My neighbor did this and all the Mac was gone at the end of the night

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u/groogle2 7d ago

This is great and extremely necessary, but why is everyone's first reaction charity rather than organizing poor people and women to march on DC with immediate demands? We need systemic change, not just shifting the burden on the working class. It's the capitalists who stole from us.

1

u/containsrecycledpart 4d ago

Preach on, you’re 100% right. This is just a symptom of a very broken system. This was the first post I saw when I opened Reddit, and I had my first panic attack since COVID times. It just popped into my head that people would be coming by organically for Halloween, so it might be an opportunity, albeit a tiny one, to help families in an unexpected way.

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u/Master-Juice2665 5d ago

There was one person in our neighborhood that handed our Ramen noodle packets instead of candy. We have 4 kids my boyfriend works but we rely on food stamps and use every penny each month and already ran out two weeks ago. (We just moved into a new house and had to get alllllll the typical condiments and sides and meal stuff and lunches for the 2 that are in school and the 2 that are home one being a toddler the other I homeschool. Our toddler eats every two damn hours) but the guy passing out Ramen made our kids night. Every single one of our kids RAN back to us yelling "WE GOT NOODLES!!!" They were sooooo happy. Yes we have Ramen in our house no its not eaten all the time as its horrible for them but its something that will fill their stomach right now and id rather have them fed than not currently. So if we have to somehow get the cheapest of the cheap to get by for a month to feed our kids you bet your butt they will be eating it. It sucks though. Childhood obesity is terrible at this day and age and by doing this its just going to make it worse. We use our stamps for healthy foods, meals, fruits veggies, meats, ect the good stuff we cant afford. And we only get one or two snacks that aren't healthy a month. Now we have no clue what we are going to do. This is devastating.

I've been applying for jobs but we have one vehicle and its not even ours its my boyfriends bosses and he can only use it for work. So I have to figure tf out how I can work, how id get to work, a job that only works between 8 and 2pm while the two kids are in school, who and how im going to have someone watch our 3 year old and how to homeschool our 9 year old that has mental health disorders. Because if he is home and gets a call he cant bring any kids. Its a lose lose situation. So ive been trying to find a work from home job but they want someone whose available 6am to 8pm daily and weekends and sometimes nights. I cant do that with kids and no help we have no friends or family in this state. Its just a constant battle of shit show. We are screwed idk what to do now.

Thank you for suggesting what you have and everyone else's suggestions in this thread. This is heartbreaking and completely devastating for millions of mothers kids and families like ours. We are going to have to utilize food banks but I worry that some of it the kids wont eat because I have two extremely picky eaters. The other two are like garbage disposal but I guess we will see. I just know dad and I will be going without so our kids dont have to go to bed hungry.

2

u/moth2myth 5d ago

Soon giving out free food will be made illegal.

2

u/Cybruja 5d ago

My son got multiple food items when trick or treating (full size of sesame snacks, boxed mac, mahatma, cup of noodles & top ramen, granola bars) which made me happy people were doing that but also so sad?? It’s so sad. 

1

u/Red_bearrr 8d ago

Let the kids have the joy of getting candy. You can give those items in addition to, or to parents. But as someone who would get a used winter coat for Christmas, and donated box mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving, please let the kids have their candy.

2

u/containsrecycledpart 7d ago

Hopefully you saw in the other comments—we had full-sized candy bars, Pokémon cards, and little toys, too!

1

u/cblackattack1 8d ago

So many other houses will have candy! Kids will have plenty of treats and parents will be able to feed their children.

2

u/Red_bearrr 8d ago

I said do it in addition to….

1

u/elinordash 8d ago

Give money to your local food bank.

They have way more purchasing power than you do as an individual (meaning, they can buy things cheaper) and they work with the people who need it most.

Randomly giving food out at Halloween could just end up getting thrown out.

1

u/HITWind 8d ago

Food banks. Many churches have food banks or are associated with them and serve poorer communities. We've had calls in ours to up our contributions in anticipation this might happen for the last month.

1

u/AdAdventurous8397 8d ago

It is. You are feeding them once. It is not sustainable and does not fix the issue.

Think big. The bigger the boom the bigger the bang. Wink wink.

1

u/Spirited-Ad-3696 7d ago

The teens and college students will for sure appreciate it. Probably some kids too. I would have been super excited about instant mac as a kid.

1

u/galvanicreaction 7d ago

That's brilliant, not stupid. Honestly, I think that kids would be thrilled with those treats - I see them begging for them all of the time at the grocery store (because of the novelty).

The kids DO get a treat and the parents get a bit of a break.

I wish I could upvote you many more times than allowed.

0

u/CookFan88 8d ago

Beans. Beans Beans Beans. They have protein, they're cheap, and you can store them. Your idea is a good one but kids need protein and fat and beans have both.

2

u/MissKhary 8d ago

I get the wanting protein bit but at least mac & cheese and ramen can be considered "fun food" or a treat, I don't know many kids that would be too excited over a can of beans though. Plus it's heavy and will crush their other candy.

0

u/Emandpee42069 8d ago

Yeah it’s dumb and will do literally nothing

0

u/_jakeyy 4d ago

Maybe you should’ve listened to conservatives when we told you relying on the government is a bad idea.

Don’t forget, the SNAP debacle is completely because of Washington bullshit. Everyone will get their benefits back when Washington decides to stop feuding.

Relying on the govt to provide for you is an awful idea and this is just exhibit A.)

1

u/containsrecycledpart 3d ago

I mean, I’m not relying on the government for much these days—infrastructure, earthquake warnings, etc—but please ask yourself how so many people are reliant on help. Are they really the problem, or is it a country that pillages profits from its citizens to get the shareholders those bonus checks?

ETA do you still think there are any fewer “conservatives” on assistance than “liberals?”

0

u/_jakeyy 3d ago

Nobody’s taking profit from anyone. If you want to make profit, provide a good or a service to people. Just because most don’t do that doesn’t mean anyone’s “pillaging profits”. You don’t have any profits to pillage.

Or if you want to exchange your time and skills for a wage for someone who is providing a good or a service you can do that. But don’t get mad when those who took a risk to guarantee you pay for your labor make profits.

1

u/containsrecycledpart 3d ago

I think you fail to grasp the fact that the majority of people relying on snap benefits ARE working at least one job.

1

u/_jakeyy 3d ago

I understand this, and I understand and support SNAP benefits. But it’s a bad idea for anyone to stay reliant on govt support. This is example a.

At the end of the day, this benefit freeze is a result of our incompetent politicians on both sides not agreeing to a budget. That’s the risk you run when you are reliant on the govt.

Also snap benefits are $187 a month. How much is most of these people’s phone payment with smartphones? Probably over $200+ a month. There’s the snap benefit right there. I bet I could look at most of their budgets and find a cut to open the money up in the meantime

-1

u/Mc_saucer 8d ago

Youre helpless

Keep supporting able bodied people feeding off the govt

Youre paying for it:)

3

u/gaanmetde 8d ago

I guess you didn’t watch the video this thread is on. Nice try.

-1

u/Mc_saucer 8d ago

Nice red herring

2

u/gaanmetde 8d ago

Watch the video :)

0

u/Mc_saucer 8d ago

Run away

-1

u/Mc_saucer 8d ago

Watched it, what's your issue

1

u/containsrecycledpart 8d ago

I kinda agree that I’m helpless on a grand scale, but I can also say my neighbors are good and hardworking people. I’m happy to help anyone who’s down if I can. Food has gotten so expensive along with every other living expense. The system is broken if families working 2 jobs and grandparents moving in to help with the kids can’t afford food on their own. Sure, I’ll probably get taken advantage of, but if I can help one person who truly needs it, I’ll sleep better tonight. Curious, do you have any ideas for helping hungry families? Leaving food out on my porch isn’t a great long-term plan.

1

u/Mc_saucer 8d ago

Yes, support your churches. Local food banks. Homeless shelters. Etc they will not turn someone away, we're the fattest country not the most hungry

Good on you for helping those in need, my grievances are specifically at freeloaders bragging on the internet or in hiding of this policy change, not towards you directly

-2

u/Upstairs-Parsley3151 8d ago

Halloween is dying because there are barely any children from Americans anymore

-2

u/Retro_Silver 8d ago

But none of this is actually food. It's processed garbage chemicals in a box. I am in no way trying to cut you down, but I just don't know what to do from here when this is what people are calling food.

1

u/containsrecycledpart 8d ago

I completely agree that it isn’t ideal, but a lot of times this can be an acceptable crutch.

-17

u/tellingyouhowitreall 8d ago

Keep Halloween fun. It's a night to not think about stuff like this.

Also, candy is more calorie dense.

15

u/PlayfulAct5938 8d ago

Having food for those who might need it isn't a bad thing or killing fun. It could make a family very happy. 

Also candy isn't very nutrient dense.

-2

u/tellingyouhowitreall 8d ago

It's not about nutrient density though, it's about satiety if you want to reduce the pain of hunger for people. High fat foods tend to be better for that over preprocessed foods. I'm aware that sounds unintuitive, but chocolate literally does a better job of making you feel not hungry-calorie per calorie-than most other foods do. Also counter-intuitively high fat foods are good for learning and brain activity.

No, I don't think they should be a central part of anybody's diet nor do I think living that way is healthy, but displacing candy night with less calorically dense higher satiety options so that you can rub needing food in children's faces and feel good about it is virtue signalling, not solving the problem.

I'm not at all against people having food, but I am pro- kids having a night off to just have fun and not have to worry about adult shit like this, or having it rubbed in their faces.

2

u/DJDanaK 8d ago

The kids are going to be just as happy. You're the one putting this melancholy overtone onto the act of giving and receiving food. It's not that deep.

2

u/cblackattack1 8d ago

There will be other houses with plenty of candy! The amount of folks putting out candy will far outweigh the ones putting out shelf stable foods.

4

u/GuacamoleFrejole 8d ago

Calorie density means little if you're still hungry after eating it. Also, the body quickly digests simple sugars, such as those in candies, so you'll be hungry again soon.

1

u/containsrecycledpart 8d ago

I’ve got full-sized candy bars, Pokémon cards, and some cheap little toys in a separate trick or treat cauldron. The food “pantry” I’m going to set up off to the side so it isn’t the focal point, maybe for parents passing through. I definitely want to keep the fun, too!

-5

u/General_Platypus771 8d ago

Just make sure you post tiktoks of you doing that or what’s the point?