# What can you tell me about the (US) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2023, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-the-us-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/985048 "2023-06-05T17:50:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-the-us-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/985048/61 "2023-06-08T18:48:32Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Some of us just don’t want to pay the fees to be able to accept cards, when in practice at this market almost nobody tries to use them (and there’s an ATM adjacent to the market); and//or are unwilling to deal with the assorted hassles of being individually signed up for SNAP (as I said, if they decide you did something wrong, even by accident – and that would be easy to do, the rules are set up for supermarkets, not for vendors at a market who may have customers while they’re trying to finish setting up and who probably don’t have checkout lines set up at all the way supermarkets do) – the program can yank money out of your bank account without notice. I don’t suppose that will make Tops bounce checks, but it could certainly cause that to happen to me. Supermarkets can have screw-ups, too - my employer has had to deal with stores that FUBAR’d SNAP transaction to the point the lawyers go involved. My employer is large enough that they can deal with that sort of financial hiccup without, as you say, bouncing checks, but a smaller company will have much more trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-the-us-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/985048/62 "2023-06-08T22:23:16Z")
In NM (my knowledge of other states is low) you can get paper vouchers for produce at farmers markets. They’re a bit of a hassle for the vendor so not everyone has signed up to accept them. ETA I don’t know if “voucher” is the right word. $5 each, no change given. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-the-us-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/985048/63 "2023-06-08T22:39:42Z")
I wonder if that’s the FMNP program? I don’t think that’s only NYState; and the coupons are indeed $5, have been for a couple of years. You give change in produce, not in cash – I’ll give people an extra amount of something, or whatever, if their purchase doesn’t come out right; checking of course that it’s something they want. I don’t think they’re much of a hassle for the farmer, but opinions may vary; the last two or three years you’ve had to mail them in for redemption instead of just taking them to the bank, which is a bit of a nuisance. Or you might be talking about something else – there are also a batch of relatively local programs (New York City has at least one additional program on its own, for instance, which isn’t good outside the city.) ETA: At least in NY, to get the FMNP coupons you have to be either over 60 and income eligible, or on WIC. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2023, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-the-us-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/985048/64 "2023-06-09T18:57:53Z")
Maybe a stupid question but would a single father qualify for WIC? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-the-us-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/985048/65 "2023-06-09T19:39:26Z")
Yes. Longer answer in summary > **Summary** > > If you followed the link on WIC food packages post #56 you would know that there are seven different “packages”. Three are for infants (breast-fed, mostly/partially breast-fed, not breast-fed), one is for kids 1-4 years old, and three different ones are for women (pregnant or partiallybreast-feeding, post-partum entirely breast-feeding, post-partum not breast-feeding). > > A single father would not get any of the packages for women, but his children could certainly qualify and he would shop for them and use the benefit on their behalf. > > Back when I worked at a clinic in the mid-90’s in Chicago our clinic actually helped a single father take the welfare office to court over this. The welfare people kept insisting that the father couldn’t use WIC at all and he needed to have a female relative of the children get the benefit. (Also, they wanted him to prove paternity, questioned his marriage, etc.) Nope - the court and the Feds were very clear. The parent/legal guardian of the children gets a WIC card and manages his kids benefits on their behalf. Absolutely out of line to either deny the children benefits simply because their sole remaining parent was male, or to demand the father surrender custody to someone else female. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2023, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-the-us-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/985048/66 "2023-06-09T20:59:06Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > While I am a proponent of SNAP, it’s my opinion that the rules should be the opposite of what that are now, i.e. _all_ food items are ineligible with the exception of a few staples, such as fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, milk, poultry, rice, beans, potatoes, bread, eggs, etc. I think this would cut down on fraud _and_ improve nutrition. Those with long memories recall that’s pretty much _exactly_ how it worked, through U.S.D.A. and “food stamps”. There was still fraud, and plenty of it, but it took more effort, what happened was an entire secondary market developed. This was predictable, in order for food stamp recipients to obtain cash money (to buy booze, cigarettes and . . other items) Ten cents on the dollar for food stamps was probably typical, and the staples themselves sold or traded for next to nothing. The “Government Cheese” was actually pretty good, at least for grilled cheese sammiches or macaroni dishes and the like. Supplied in enormous 5lb blocks. Somehow my dad scored a couple pounds of this on a lark, and brought it home. Way to go Dad. it was like a very dense, aged Velveeta. Not gourmet, but a great way to store surplus commodities. In those days politicians (at least occasionally) whether because of or in spite of the various conflicting legislation did the right thing, in this case releasing the depression era subsidized farm commodities to school districts for free or reduced price lunch programs, the parents had already paid for it all anyway. Lots of rice dishes, peanut butter, ersatz Pizza, etc. We students complained but we ate it all up I remember that. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-the-us-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/985048/67 "2023-06-10T06:50:26Z")
It’s also a horrible plan for those of us who have unusual dietary needs. It’s far better to let us decide on our own, and find what works for us, rather than think you can plan out the specific foods that can work for everyone. It’s not like you get enough to get fat off of food stamps. Everyone I know on food stamps loses weight. Because, as I said, you tend to get less than you you would think you’d get. I calculated $300+ based on the formulas I saw. I got $105, for two people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-the-us-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/985048.md?page=3)