It was Monday and the supermarket was jam packed with shoppers.

Odd.

I love to go food shopping on Monday. Clerks are stocking the shelves with fresh items. And after the big crowds of weekend shoppers, the stores are usually uncrowded. But…

…this place was a madhouse.

And it was Monday.

You could hardly navigate an aisle without bumping into someone’s grocery cart – or kid. They were everywhere. The kids. And their visibly bedraggled mothers struggled to simultaneously shop for groceries and keep them in tow. It was mostly a losing battle.

At the checkout I asked the cashier, “Is it always like this on Monday?”

“No. Today’s the first of the month.”

She noticed my quizzical look.

“It’s EBT day,” she said in a sarcastic tone.

Just then an older woman in line behind me piped in. “I hate this day. These damn welfare people. Here I am, clipping coupons and shopping for bargains and they’re getting all this top line stuff with their EBT cards. And those kids! They ought to tie ’em up outside and not let ’em in.”

EBT day.

As I paid for my groceries and left the store I felt sad. Sad for the vitriolic commentary I had just heard and the harsh judgments of both the clerk and the woman in line. They knew nothing about the people shopping with their EBT cards – or about their kids. It’s easy to judge people you don’t know. Just the mere fact of the negative commentary pulled me down.

And I felt sad for the women and kids shopping with their EBT cards. And it WAS women mostly. Over years spent in ministry I’ve met a lot of these women and their kids. I’ve learned that no one – NO ONE – works harder than a mother trying to raise kids in poverty.

And the EBT program?

Did you know…

  • The average household receiving food stamps has a gross monthly income of $744; net monthly income of $338 after the standard deduction and, for certain households, deductions for child care, medical expenses, and shelter costs; and countable resources of $331, such as a bank account
  • Food assistance benefits don’t last most participants the whole month. 90% of food stamp benefits are redeemed by the third week of the month, and 58% of food bank clients currently receiving benefits turn to food banks for assistance at least 6 months out of the year.
  • The average monthly food assistance benefit per person is $133.85, or less than $1.50 per person, per meal.
  • Only 57% of food insecure individuals are income-eligible for food assistance, and 26% are not income-eligible for any federal food assistance.

It saddens me that so many folks have such hard hearts toward Jesus.

Jesus?

“Lord, when was it that we saw you with an EBT card with hungry kids…or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?”