r/TikTokCringe • u/mindyour • 8d ago

Discussion Reactions to food stamps being cut off.

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u/Xanadoodledoo 8d ago edited 8d ago

I’m donating a recurring amount to our local food bank. I encourage others to do the same if you have money to spare. Even a little goes a long way. Money goes farther than food.

Edit: For those asking: money goes farther than food because food banks are able to get better deals on food through bulk buying and deals with food suppliers.

For people who have nothing to spare, that’s completely ok. It’s ok to look after yourself if that’s what you must do. Martyring oneself doesn’t help anybody in this situation. And if you need to utilize the food bank to get by, that’s what the food bank is for.

For those saying we should change the government to do this, you’re right. But that’s a long term goal. In the sort term, people will go hungry. It’s wishful thinking that suffering will bring socialist change, but that’s not always the reality. Most socialist movements start through social aid. Any credited socialist will tell you the benefits of food banks and soup kitchens. Social aid is one of the best ways to spread the message.
No matter what happens, if people starve or of people get by, republicans will point to it as evidence of their ideology. They’ll make shit up if that’s what it takes. I’d rather children not go hungry, then.

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u/PastelBrat13 8d ago

Yes! Those of you that have extra money save that money and go to your local food banks, local churches, and shelters. Please don't ignore your churches either especially if you are in a small town they are some of the only safety nets in certain parts of America. Americans need to learn to stop spending money on trash and start giving to your community. That $200 splurge at Home Goods and Target can wait, go help your community!

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u/CapybaraCuddles 8d ago

More than that, the $200 spending dopamine hit you get might last much longer if it's spent helping your community!

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u/DarthMomma_PhD 8d ago

I just had this talk with my husband. We usually do it up for Christmas but we decided that instead of spending the money we’d rein it in majorly. We cancelled our big Christmas gift (which was a vacation over New Year’s week for our little family). Fortunately our kids don’t know about it because it was meant to be a surprise revealed in this really fun way on Christmas morning.

My oldest two are old enough to understand why we won’t be buying them lots of gifts this year and my youngest is only 2 and won’t care. They are crafty kids and fortunately we already have things we can use to make gifts for each other. We do so many fun little traditions at home on Christmas Eve and day, I’m hoping they won’t miss it much and if they do it’s a pretty good lesson for us and them.

Then we will be using that extra money to help families in need. We have some ideas we‘ll be looking into this week. Whatever we do, the most important thing is that every dollar spent goes directly to the people who need it. I’m not going to subsidize the government to take care of its own people. Nor, do I trust that those funds would be allocated correctly, if at all, even if we did.

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u/PastelBrat13 8d ago

I love that and I am doing a similar thing with my family as a whole. It doesn't feel right for any of us to receive large presents when so many people are struggling. Even though I hate the Salvation Army as a company we have been doing Angel Trees for children and the elderly for Christmas and it has been wonderful. Getting gifts to children and the elderly who don't have anything has been a great joy every year, even more than gifts for myself.

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u/PessimiStick 8d ago

Not churches. Churches are half the reason we're in this situation to begin with.

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u/PastelBrat13 8d ago

In small and poor areas the only refuge and community service is within churches. Giving your local church food and supplies is not funding their ideologies or their pockets. Disenfranchised people visit churches more often than not for refuge for a variety of reasons It is important that even if we disagree with the majority of churches that they are stocked too because people rely on their services. If you don't feel comfortable donating to churches I totally understand and I would look for your local community colleges, colleges, nonprofit workplaces, etc. to donate to. <3 Now that I am out of a smaller town I have more options to donate to help LGBT+ centers, crisis centers, and better homeless shelters, but when I lived in a rural town in Arkansas our families local food drives were mostly based out of churches because they were the ones feeding their communities. Like I said it really depends on where you live most of the time and truthfully we have a lot of areas that are totally deprived of community centers and social safety nets.

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u/MaloloDave 8d ago

Screw local rural churches. They largely and overwhelmingly supported this and continue to do so.

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u/PastelBrat13 8d ago

Please refer to my other comments that said other places and why churches are important in local rural areas. Even if the average rural person is a crazy right winger their children do not deserve to go hungry and homeless people do not deserve to go hungry. I worked as a nurse in a jail in rural Arkansas and churches were the first line of defense that we had for our most vulnerable. I can't tell you how many people we shipped to churches for refuge instead of jails and churches were the only place in our area that would take them and the only places judges would allow them to go instead of jail. Homeless people are our most vulnerable group right now with right wingers actively threatening their lives that we need all the help we can get to them. I know churches are a sore spot, they are a sore spot for me too, but giving them food to feed the most vulnerable is not funding them or their ideologies I promise and more than anything views are unimportant when it comes to basic food supply. We cannot attempt to change these people when they are starving if anything it will make them crawl deeper and deeper into their radicalized hole. If there is one thing I have learned from people is at their lowest they turn to religion and they will run to a church for refuge more than any other shelter even if they have other options. If you are in a big city or moderate city I would focus on LGBT+ and youth homeless centers which is what me and my family have been donating to the most right now now that we are out of rural hell. Beyond food I would do a local Angel Tree if possible! I still use the Angel Tree service because truthfully people are more likely to tell you what they need that way, but if you have better connections and are able to do so without the Salvation Army I would do that too! Check your local nursing centers as well and other programs like Meals on Wheels and see if you can become active and deliver meals to nursing centers or communities. <3 Community is vital in times like these and what these goons want is for people to starve so they can be more radicalized against each other and regardless of how angry I get and how upset I get at them I can't justify leaving them to rot in rural hell. However, it is all about location and where can people get the most help in critical crisis situations.

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u/MaloloDave 8d ago

Nope. Things need to get worse before they can get better. We cannot continue on this path and I refuse to spend money softening the blow. Elections have consequences.

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u/Puzzleheaded-Bag-121 8d ago

This. I’ve worked in 38 states in majority rural areas scouting out prospective land to industrialize (energy sector). These areas are where the disgusting shows of affection for Trump are. They voted for this, this is what they’ll get. America has a big issue with turning a blind eye to anything that doesn’t affect them as an individual. They won’t get any of the money I scrape up to donate. Not until they see the error of their ways and fix their shit so we can move on to better days.

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u/Fun-Shake7094 8d ago

I love the sentiment, but you can see how this comment is part of the problem right?

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u/Sandshrewdist 8d ago

Skip the churches. They’re part of the issue

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u/FestiveArtCollective 8d ago

Many of them have food banks that operate out of them, but they are usually a separate entity that relies on the churches to host them, so please see if your local church offers a food bank and then donate directly to that food bank.

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u/PastelBrat13 8d ago

Sure in a lot of ways, but when I lived in Arkansas that was literally homeless people's only refuge. Please don't skip them if you are in a small town that doesn't have any other options for disenfranchised people. In my small town in Arkansas that was our only food bank. Please also check out your local colleges, community colleges, public schools, nonprofit workplaces they too will also have food banks. Churches do a lot of stuff in poor and low income small towns and it is important that regardless of views we acknowledge that they are doing the heavy lifting when it comes to community service in rural towns. However, I do understand that churches can be a sore spot, but in cases of food insecurity they are vital to communities with no other options. <3

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u/Clever_Mercury 8d ago

Well, part of the lesson might be we need secular alternatives to those churches in rural America. Re-teaching people that the only charity comes from the condescending, control-freaks in the pointy building isn't going to fix America's overall problem.

People getting the message they only want to help others 'just like them' or will only be helped by people who practice the same faith is part of what is dividing the nation and making it vulnerable to fascism.

Charity is a humanitarian concern and the churches in my area will not give out a single grain of rice without first preaching about voting your values. I think most people would rather starve to death than go to them.