NY Sick

I'm not sure why it's hitting me right now. I don't know why I am longing for a place I for some reason had to learn to love to live in. I can't explain it, which shouldn't come as a surprise, because I can't explain a lot of my feelings, but I'm feeling homesick for NY.

Let me see that Tootsie Roll!

So, I recently moved to Cambridge. The reason I moved here from Brighton was so I could be on the red line for work. It's a straight shot for me now - there's no transferring involved and I don't have to ride the green line anymore, the dreaded "B" the train I used to think was cute because it's the oldest subway train in the country and is like a trolley, but I quickly realized is really annoying cause that meant it had to make traffic stops - which happens a lot during rush hour.

Anyway, as I was saying, I moved to Cambridge - Central Square to be exact. While Central isn't the greatest neighborhood ever, it definitely has the convenience factor in its favor. There's a WalGreens and CVS nearby, Whole Foods and Shaws, ATMs and banks, and multiple bus lines which will take me to the new warehouse/office when Cradles to Crayons moves in January.

The neighborhood I live in is called Area IV and I am convinced it's a secret base for aliens and UFO's. But more important than probably living with aliens, more important than probably having UFOs in my basement, is the fact that I live a block and a half away from a Tootsie Roll Factory.

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. My walk home from work often smells of Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Pops and Junior Mints. I will walk an extra 2 minutes just to smell it and when people come to visit me I tell them, "make sure you smell the air on Main Street!".

It's the little things.

Oh SNAP

Yeah, so I knew this whole keeping-up-with-blogging-during-my-term-of-service-thing was not going to happen. That's just how I am and we all know it!

So, instead of trying to update my blog on everything I've been doing, I'm going to talk about something in particular - I'm going to talk about FOOD STAMPS.

As you may or may not know, Americorps Volunteers receive a very limited stipend. I'm talking 110% of the poverty level of the area you are serving.

Poverty is measured in different ways by different organizations. The Federal Government uses the "Orshansky Poverty Threshold" to measure poverty in the US. Orshanksy, an economist in 1969 who was working for the SSA, determined that the best way to determine poverty was by food. This is the equation she came up with:

$3.60 (the cheapest USDA Food Plan per day for a family of 4) x 3 (1950's studies showed families spent one third of income on food) x 365 = $3,942 (Any family of 4 living on less than this amount was considered poor)

The main issue with this calculation is the fact that it is pre-tax (income tax is about 1/3 of income -there goes your $ for food!). Also, it does not account for the variation of cost of living from state to state and between urban and rural areas. WTF, US government, WTF?

The government does include things like inflation, etc. So the 2009 Poverty Guideline for a household of 1 (ie: me) is $10,830!

So as I said, I am receiving 110% of the poverty level, so I can "live in the community I'm serving". The Americorps does take into account the cost of living for different areas, which is good, but since I'm at the poverty level in Massachussets, I'm elgible for Food Stamps.

Or, as us Mass'ers call it - SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). I recently applied for food stamps online and had to schedule a phone interview with someone from the Department of Transitional Services. I had to tell them my income, how much money I have in the bank, how much my rent is, if I'm paying for utilities, etc etc. So, I did that and now I have to prove everything and send them my lease, my bills, proof of identity, and proof of citizenship.

Once I do that, I'll receive $200 per month (this varies based on how much you are making, size of household and the area you are living in, obviously metro areas will get more, cause the cost of food is higher) that can be used at various grocery and convenience stores.

Now, I'm sure once I use it I will get different reactions. I know there's always been a stigma attached to food stamps, but they no longer look like play money, they look like a debit card:


I'm sure people will look at me and think that I don't look like I should be receiving food stamps, or that I'm taking advantage of the system, but this is obviously not the case.

I think an advantage to being on Food Stamps is that I understand what people need to do to get them. At the organization I'm working with, we determine if a school is eligible to receive our school-supplied filled backpacks if they have a certain amount of students on the free or reduced lunch program. Again, determining poverty by food, only one of the basic needs of people.

As an Americorps VISTA, our mission is to combat poverty, and I suppose the best way to learn how to do that is to live it yourself. You know, walk a mile in someone else's shoes, blah blah blah. Well, I am doing just that - I'm walking a mile by doing a year of service.