Taxpayers out $500k for Culturally Appropriate SNAP Benefits

by Kim D.

In an economy where food prices are soaring, it's become rather difficult for the middle class to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables to create every meal. In a time where stretching each dollar earned is a necessity to afford increased health insurance premiums, among other inflated goods, it is so tempting to rely on the dollar menus at fast-food burger dives. We know it's not the healthy option - it's the affordable one.

Middle-class Americans aren't eligible for food-stamp benefits, and many wouldn't sign up to take a government handout even if they could. However, their tax dollars are being used to ensure that refugees are getting the assistance they need to eat healthy with the additional provision of culturally appropriate foods.  According to The Daily Caller, 

Refugees receiving food subsidies will get “culturally appropriate fruits and vegetables” thanks to grants from the federal government. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating $564,231 to an aid group that helps refugees sign-up for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

The initiative is called “Fresh Fund: Leveraging investment for a healthier food system in refugee and immigrant communities,” according to USDA’s announcement. USDA said the goal for the program is to “increase availability of locally-grown, culturally appropriate fruits and vegetables among refugee and immigrant populations,” and set a benchmark for the IRC to “enroll at least 3,100 participants in Fresh Fund over four years.” 

The IRC, a global non-profit which works closely with the Department of State’s United States Agency for International Development, has 26 centers in the U.S. to help refugees resettle. Most refugees receive a variety of welfare programs when they first arrive in the country. More than 10,000 refugees will likely enter the U.S. this year under President Barack Obama’s asylum program, and new research finds that each refugee costs taxpayers around $20,000.

It's time to get our priorities straight. No American wishes to see anyone starve; however, when the ones who foot the bill cannot eat as well as the ones who pay nothing at all, ill will is fostered and more division is created. While we can acknowledge this is by design by an administration determined to spread the wealth around, it is unfair.  Ask a starving refugee if he or she would rather eat a hotdog or starve, and watch the chow down begin.