The Food Stamp Act & My Family

by Preston Van Vliet (they/he)

On this day in 1964, President Johnson signed the Food Stamp Act into law. In 2022, over 41 million people received this important benefit. Food is a basic human right, and while there is always more to be done, I am grateful for the federal and state governments’ role in ensuring people have food. 

My family and I received food stamps during a time where I was under-employed and struggling to make ends meet in 2020 and 2021. I was a food delivery driver and doing odd jobs. My partner at the time was disabled, and we were going through a very challenging custody battle for their kid. Not having to worry about food meant that we could focus on the custody battle and my partner’s health. We were also in the midst of figuring out the medical mysteries that my partner was experiencing, meaning we were traveling to many specialists and having diagnostic procedures done, so putting in more work hours to earn more money wasn’t always feasible.

We had access to farmers’ markets where we could spend our food stamps on the business of local growers, as well as supporting other small businesses, like the local Chinese food store that was facing racist attacks during anti-COVID backlash. Our food stamps benefits helped us to eat healthy and culturally relevant food which was important for my partner’s well-being. We even used food stamps to purchase seeds, and we grew our own greens and vegetables. I felt empowered by my food stamps. I also felt my government cared for me (at least a little). I eventually landed myself a good job here at Family Values @ Work and no longer needed food stamps.

Food stamps are a crucial tool for the wellness of our communities. We know that the same people who need food stamps are also those who need paid time to care and high quality childcare, so that’s why we fight for it all.