Living on the Dole

I applied for food stamps this winer. I wasn't sure I would ever do this, having a proud working-class background that instilled in me the feeling that I should always, no matter what, be able to provide for myself. But after being unemployed for almost 6 months and being really sick this winter, something had to give. I applied and realized that my income -- even working full time for the past 2-3 years - made me eligible for other government subsidies. And definitely eligible for food stamps.

In order to receive my monthly food stamp allowance, the State of Ohio requires that you "work" at a pre-approved site, usually a non-profit or some other community service facility. This is a requirement only for food stamp recipients who are also unemployed. I have to work 23 hours per month in order to maintain my eligibility. Being a lover of all things food related, I chose to work at a local food pantry and soup kitchen. It has been an enlightening, eye-opening experience.

I grew up in poverty in southeast Ohio, but my family always valued gardening, fresh healthy food, homesteading to some extent -- milking a cow, raising a calf for slaughter, collecting fruit from the fruit trees, etc. We always ate really well, even though we qualified for free lunch at school and didn't always have enough money for the coolest clothes or the best shoes.

My experience at the food pantry has shown me an entirely different face of rural poverty. People are unhealthy, desperate, proud. There is a hot meal served every week and in the few weeks I have been there over 50 people have showed up in this little backwater town in rural southeast Ohio, most of them hungry. Many of them come every week, they chat with their neighbors, hug their friends, laugh and sing, say the Our Father together before eating and always come back for dessert and sometimes for seconds.

The food served is terrible. It is canned, processed and passed off as food, but it's really just sugar, trans-fats and salt disguised as food. I've eaten there both weeks and have felt my digestion go to shit after eating only these two meals of processed, packaged food-like substances. It is a wonder to me that people can eat this way and not die of malnutrition or simultaneously of an overdose of chemicals, sugars and salts. When they go through the pantry, they get much of the same -- sugary cereals, canned vegetables, canned fruits, processed cheeze spread, beef stew in a can, frozen pizzas pasta, sugar coated snacks. There are cases and cases of candy and chocolate.

I began to ponder last night a large grant funded project in which I could pay 50 people in rural Appalachian Ohio in varying states of health or disease, to eat a diet made up entirely of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and meals made from scratch with organic locally grown produce. I would want to handle the food prep and serving and partner with a doctor who could monitor health conditions of the participants. My guess is that many of the participants' health problems would decrease (after an initial detoxing period that would undoubtedly be somewhat uncomfortable), they would have more energy, maybe even begin to feel clearer in their minds, more empowered. In general, they would just feel healthier and better able to deal with stress, relationships, etc.

I believe it would create a radical change in most of the participants' lives. It is amazing to me that people eat the crap that they do and still function. I truly believe that food is the first medicine we put into our bodies. It can buffer us from illness, stress, emotional instability and can also poison us slowly, rotting our insides and clogging all the systems that are supposed to keep our complex bodies functioning properly. I think it is no wonder that people in this country are so disempowered and disenchanted. We are poisoning ourselves from the inside out with food that creates ever more powerful cravings but never fully satisfies.