Dear Editor,
There was a time during the early 1990s recession when I lost my job (through no fault of my own) and my family unexpectedly found ourselves needing to apply for assistance.
Our son was less than two years old, and although I was eligible for unemployment benefits, it took months for them to come, in part because we had moved from another state and Vermont unemployment needed wage information from my last job in that state, even though the job I lost was in Vermont.
Because of the delay, we used up any savings we had to pay our rent and bills. I had some shares in my parents’ company that I sold back to pay off our (only) car, and my parents also helped us a little financially.
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I looked for work every day and we reduced our spending as much as possible. My wife, who had not grown up in the same income bracket, taught me about shopping at thrift and consignment shops, the “banged and dented” grocery store, and getting day-old bread from the “bread store” on the Barre-Montpelier Road. Eventually, we moved from our apartment into a more affordable mobile home.
When my unemployment was nearing an end, I started working part-time cleaning doctors’ offices at night and for a while I had three part-time jobs at the same time. My wife tried providing day care for a few neighbors’ kids and then found a job during the day so we could alternate taking care of our son. When our jobs overlapped, my mother-in-law pitched in to help.
Despite all of that, we still found ourselves needing assistance from government programs like food stamps, fuel assistance and commodities, just to make ends meet. It was not for lack of work or unnecessary spending or any of the other reasons I frequently see people using to shame our fellow Vermonters who find themselves in need of assistance to take care of their family.
The hard truth is that too many jobs simply do not pay enough and no doubt since the early 1990s it has only gotten worse.
It was hard for us. I can only imagine how much harder it is for single parents, the elderly and people with disabilities, who are the majority of SNAP recipients. As the saying goes, “there but for the grace of God go I,” and a little compassion and empathy would go a long way.
Arthur Hamlin
Braintree
Read the story on VTDigger here: Arthur Hamlin: Compassion for SNAP beneficiaries.