Current Events > Every public school student in NYC is getting a $420 Food Stamp Card

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://gothamist.com/food/every-public-school-student-getting-420-food-stamp-card-regardless-income-what-should-higher-earners-do

To support New Yorkers through the COVID-19 crisis and financial fallout, about a half-billion dollars in food stamps, at $420 apiece, are being issued to every public school student in the city. Those who already receive such assistance have had this extra money added to their accounts, but in the next few weeks the funds are going to two groups who otherwise havent been eligible for the aid: undocumented immigrants, and higher-income earners. That poses an interesting quandary for more well-off New Yorkers: What should they do with the Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) cards that will arrive in the mail with their childrens names on them? They cant be handed to a needy neighbor -- thatd be fraud. And city officials recommend against throwing the cards out, because thatd be free federal money going unused.

So Marissa Finn, an Upper East Side food educator, had another idea: Use the card, and then donate the equivalent funds to help tackle hunger. Finn is a volunteer with Resource Generation, made up of young people working to redistribute wealth. She created a website -- Share My PEBT -- to guide charitable New Yorkers on how to donate the money. As somebody who comes from class privilege, I just wanted to get the word out in any way that I could, she said. What I really want is for people, after they've spent that $420, to go ahead and give it back to somebody in their neighborhood. Her website links to mutual aid groups and food pantries. I would encourage people to give back to organizations that are alleviating hunger in New York City, she said. But if somebody has a different space that's really important to them -- yeah, go ahead, as long as you're redistributing that money to a place that deserves it. The reason why all parents of New York City public school students (and some charter, Catholic, and private schools that have free lunch programs) receive the benefit is because in 2017, the de Blasio Administration established universal free lunch, so any student, regardless of income, can access meals at school. Based on that, all city students are eligible for additional food stamp money that states received from a congressional COVID-19 stimulus measure that was intended to replace free lunches at school during the pandemic.



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Steak time boiiiiii

Smoke Weed Everyday

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Hurrr Durr COMMUNISM...this is good though. i also really like the idea of people who don't need it and feel guilt using it donating money equivalent to what they would have spent.

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My son's school did this due to having an existing grant for all students to receive free breakfast and lunch during the school year. They sent out EBT cards instead, and I think mine had around $360 on it. It was a huge help

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Lebronwon posted...

undocumented immigrants, and higher-income earners

oooo! let's piss off both ends of the horseshoe at once.

Nice! Eat food everyday.

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If that 600 UI get extended. That is amazing for a household with both parents with multiple kids. They'd be getting 1,500 a week in UI from government plus they don't have to spend on food. They might end up with 30k in savings by end of year thanks to corona.

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Great help for those in need.

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FreezerDoor posted...

They might end up with 100k in savings by end of year thanks to corona.

This seems incredibly unlikely

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This is good, ya forget kids are the Future

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you can spend food stamps on junk food and soda
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FreezerDoor posted...

If that 600 UI get extended. That is amazing for a household with both parents with multiple kids. They'd be getting 1,500 a week in UI from government plus they don't have to spend on food. They might end up with 100k in savings by end of year thanks to corona.

Im no mathologist, but that doesnt seem to work out

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Philoktetes posted...

you can spend food stamps on junk food and soda

God forbid "the poors" buy something that brings them joy during a fucking pandemic and economic depression.

Philoktetes posted...

you can spend food stamps on junk food and soda

k

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That's enough for one five star meal in NYC

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eston posted...

This seems incredibly unlikely

I made error in math. It probably be closer to 30-40k. But still point is with rent cancelled now they don't have to spend on food. Someone unemployed with a kid probably gonna have a bunch of savings by the end of year.

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FreezerDoor posted...

I made error in math. It probably be closer to 30-40k. But still point is with rent cancelled now they don't have to spend on food. Someone unemployed with a kid probably gonna have a bunch of savings by the end of year.

And that's a great thing! Lack of savings is one of the primary causes of generational poverty and inhibits upward economic mobility.

TheVipaGTS posted...

i also really like the idea of people who don't need it and feel guilt using it donating money equivalent to what they would have spent.

seems the high earner should be doing that imo. they don't need any help. the rest of them need the help.
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FreezerDoor posted...

I made error in math. It probably be closer to 30-40k. But still point is with rent cancelled now they don't have to spend on food. Someone unemployed with a kid probably gonna have a bunch of savings by the end of year.

Dude just stop

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Wish they wouldve done this when i was in school

I always stole my lunch lol

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kingdrake2 posted...

seems the high earner should be doing that imo. they don't need any help. the rest of them need the help.

SomeGuyUO posted...

Steak time boiiiiii

Lots of rich kids in NYC eating wagyu now.

eston posted...

Dude just stop

Whats wrong with what I said? You really think everyone getting unemployment is spending it all and not saving the extra cash left over from their bills? If their bills haven't been cancelled like rent.

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FreezerDoor posted...

Whats wrong with what I said? You really think everyone getting unemployment is spending it all and not saving the extra cash left over from their bills? If their bills haven't been cancelled like rent.

Well for one thing, rent isn't cancelled. There is a moratorium on evictions, but people still owe their landlord the money.

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Can't these kids just pull themselves up by their own bootstraps?

If you can read you can work

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Lordgold666 posted...

Wish they wouldve done this when i was in school

I always stole my lunch lol

Used to shoplift food as a kid.
My father was my only parent, and god bless him, he wasn't too good at providing food.
I stopped at the age of 18....because.

It all reminds me of these lyrics a little.

And you're minding your own business
Carrying spare change
You wouldn't cosh a barber
You're hungry all the same
I been very tempted
To grab it from the till
I been very hungry
But not enough to kill

Today, I always make sure I have some backup food.
And my Cat never goes hungry ever.
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SiO4 posted...

my Cat never goes hungry ever.

i had to face one circumstance one month where i had to give up my game purchases for a month so i could have food for my dog.

dog always comes first.
date was the month of december. can't remember the exact year.
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kingdrake2 posted...

i had to face one circumstance one month where i had to give up my game purchases for a month so i could have food for my dog.

dog always comes first.
date was the month of december. can't remember the exact year.

Yup...Back when I was really scrimping and saving, I did everything to make sure I had at least a month or two's worth of cat food on hand...just in case.

~I can tell me why I am hungry, I can't tell my cat.
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