(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . I know it's hard to ask, but please don't wait. Street Prophets Helping Humpday. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-12 We’ve had some really significant asks lately. I know it’s hard to ask for help. It can feel like a personal failure, even when circumstances overwhelm you. Our society has pushed that idea for decades now, even for lifetimes. Guilt seems to be a packaged product sold by certain people in our world. My mother volunteered for her church’s food pantry, and she did it with little grace and much judgment. (Yes, she was a reactionary Republican. She died well before the Trump era but she’d have been all in.) Her friend who managed the food pantry said, probably with an underlying realistic assessment of the situation, “If Margaret is doing the intake at the desk, I know no one is going to be putting anything over on us!” Let’s just say that Mom and I both agreed that was the truth; we just had differing opinions of the merits. But here at DK we aren’t judgmental Republicans. We’re Democrats, and many of us have an understanding of and sympathy for the human condition. (A few may be judgmental democrats but they aren’t likely to have read this far into a diary committed to helping.) We know how life catches up with you, overwhelms you, and leaves you defeated. We’re here to give a hand to get you back up, dusted off, and back on your journey. Lately we’ve had people come to us at the last minute—or maybe beyond the last minute—asking for help when the need has grown larger than our community can manage alone. There are many of us who want to help before you get to that stage, before you’re all the way down. If that’s you, don’t feel you have to face this alone. Ask now. Please. Kos Katalogue—It’s currently being revised, so if you have changes/additions/corrections, let Cathy M or Bead Lady know. (I have a source who gets confused often, so I don’t want to repeat what I was told about New Mexico and SNAP until I check with other sources. Looking online, I think only that the COVID boost has ended but I’d like to hear from someone in that state who has local knowledge.) SNAP is administered by the states, but overall, the amount has been greatly reduced, now that COVID is “over” (/s, but it’s official policy now, I guess). So people who were in need before are desperate now. And a word or two about food pantries. They aren’t all the same. It can depend on your area. When my mother volunteered at her church’s food pantry, they gave each registered family three days’ worth of meals for each person in the household. A friend volunteered at her church’s pantry. They picked out “some” food for each family, but not measured in meals-per-person, just whatever the volunteer thought they should have, with no attempt at balanced meals. One of our Kossacks went to her local pantry. For her once-a-month request for herself and her son, she was given a jar of peanut butter and a sleeve (not the whole box; just a sleeve) of saltine crackers. It can be a reliable source for some, or it can be a waste of time. The gas to drive probably cost as much as or more than peanut butter and a fourth of a box of crackers. But even at its best, it isn’t meant as a total food source. It costs more to be poor. Guaranteed. I figured that out on my own, more than half a century ago. No cash reserve for stocking up or bulk buying. Late fees. Overdraft fees. Interest going out but not coming in. And every small extra need is a crisis. These community members need a little push to get over a hump. Maybe it’s an unexpected medical bill. Maybe there’s a life situation that has come up and requires resources beyond regular income. Maybe they just got behind and need help getting their footing again. For whatever reason they need help, Wednesdays are the day the Street Prophets diary focuses on those needs. Maybe you’ve skipped over this weekly diary, thinking the little you can give won’t make a difference. But you don’t have to meet a person’s entire need. If we all join together, the small amounts each person can contribute will add up to enough to make a difference in someone’s life. Even $2 or $5 or $10, when added to the mickle that others give, can be all that it takes. When sending via PayPal, be sure to select “Send to family/friend” to avoid fees on either end. Be aware, both donor and recipient, that GFM not only charges fees to recipients and asks donors to contribute to their organization, but also money received through that platform is treated as taxable income. You will receive a form 1099 and it’s reported to the IRS. If you are requesting help through GFM, also be aware that there can be delays in accessing the money. These people are our own. Please do what you can. If helping financially isn’t the right choice for you at this time, you can still help. Tip and rec the diary so it stays visible. Share on social media: Twitter, Facebook, whatever platform you use, to bring the attention of others outside our daily readers. And offer words of encouragement to people who are struggling. It can be scary to be struggling, and it can feel lonely. This can happen to any of us. Today it isn’t me in need. If it isn’t you, either, please see what you can do to help. (Just an aside for people who write diaries. When adding tags, capitalize each word, even the small ones. That makes it readable by text readers, for the visually impaired.) Update: I got clarification for the SNAP benefits in New Mexico. The state isn’t just dropping the COVID bonus. It’s treating all recipients as new applicants, with new paperwork required. And then they didn’t begin processing the paperwork until the COVID payments stopped. So they’re about 45 days behind in reinstating everyone. Meanwhile, people are without any SNAP benefits at all for the interim. If you know someone in that area who’s in need, check on them. Are any other states doing the same? 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