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T or F: 2 f/t incomes frum USA, no one is starving for food
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True or False: In 2 full time income families (no kollel)(food stamps and food packs count as "income" for this post), no one is starving for food. (not referring to having enough money for other expenses, only food.)
True  
 76%  [ 110 ]
False  
 23%  [ 34 ]
Total Votes : 144



amother
Seashell


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:18 pm
True or False: In a home where both husband and wife work full time (no kollel), no one is starving for food. (Include food stamps, or help from food packages or help from family or community.) In other words, do you know a family that doesn't have enough food to eat, even if they get food stamps, food packages, or other help? Don't include expenses for other things like rent or utility or clothing- even though of course they are necessities but for the purpose of this post, just say whether you personally know families where both work full time and are hungry because there is not enough food and which city. I'm referring only to the Unites States, not other countries. And I'm referring to actually going to bed hungry at night because there isn't enough food.
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amother
Slategray


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:23 pm
I hope there isn't such a family that both spouses work & they dont have money for food
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keym




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:25 pm
Personally, no. Everyone I know has basic bread, milk, etc. But not necessarily nutritious food.
Some are over their eyeballs in debt for the food. Some have not paid their tuition or rent in months and are in danger of being evicted or their kids kicked out of school.
Some are running around buying cheap 4 day old bread and milk and chicken on the last day of the sell by date.
I don't see how you can keep other living expenses out of the equation.
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Mommyg8




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:27 pm
I don't know anyone living in the United States - not even families where neither parent works - who dont have enough food to eat.

The first time I have heard of this is on imamother Sad.

And I agree with keym - I dont see how you can keep other living expenses out of the equation...
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:29 pm
keym wrote:
Personally, no. Everyone I know has basic bread, milk, etc. But not necessarily nutritious food.
Some are over their eyeballs in debt for the food. Some have not paid their tuition or rent in months and are in danger of being evicted or their kids kicked out of school.
Some are running around buying cheap 4 day old bread and milk and chicken on the last day of the sell by date.
I don't see how you can keep other living expenses out of the equation.

For the purposes of this question, I'm referring only to actual food, iow are there people who go to bed hungry at night.
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:31 pm
If you responded with false- please explain.
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:31 pm
I'm going to edit this post, I meant in the United States, not other countries.
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leah233




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:33 pm
The poll doesn't mention how many children they have.

Either way, food is not so expensive that if both parents are working full time they won't be able to afford even cheap food.

If the question was about a different and larger expense like having their house foreclosed on or getting evicted I would vote false.


Last edited by leah233 on Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:37 pm; edited 3 times in total
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amother
Violet


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:33 pm
OP, what are you getting at? I'm with the others here and have never seen in the U.S. a frum family, rich or poor that didn't have access to enough food.
Have you?
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:35 pm
leah233 wrote:
The poll doesn't mention how many children they have.

Either way, food is not so expensive that if both parents are working full time they won't be able to afford even cheap food.

If the question was about a different and larger expense like having their house foreclosed on I would vote true.
Doesn't matter how many children-- if they have 20 kids and you know they go to bed hungry at night, then answer false. I'm talking only about food not any other expense.
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:40 pm
amother wrote:
OP, what are you getting at? I'm with the others here and have never seen in the U.S. a frum family, rich or poor that didn't have access to enough food.
Have you?
A relative made this comment. B"H I don't know of any. Sometimes you hear stories of people are actually starving, but where?
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amother
Honeydew


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:41 pm
we both work full-time, yet dont earn enough money. we bh have a handfulof kids, and a million expenses. Are we starving? No, bh. but we are using money for food that maybe should go to the electric bill. Bh we have not yet had a shutoff notice, but there are weeks where we have to borrow money to pay basic expenses like childcare, tuition, mortgage (we bought when we were more financially stable), and transportation. It's hard. So we're not going to bed hungry, but we do prioritize food over tuition.
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keym




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:43 pm
And I maintain that while I don't know of any, I can see it happening.
A family who owes thousands of dollars to tuition- haven't paid in months. And the school is threatening to kick out the kids. And they maxed out on the credit card. Could I imagine that they would use that last $100 in their pocket for tuition and go hungry for a bit? Its not so farfetched.
Especially since WIC and food stamps aren't an option since this family probably exceeds the income.
And tomchei shabbos is not easy to get on to.

I would hope that this family squeezes enough for beans and rice but.....
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amother
Aubergine


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:46 pm
There are many factors, what the full time jobs are? some pay minimum wage
where one lives
how many children/ages
tuition varies greatly

We're a 2 income family, we don't qualify for any programs, no food packages, I struggle to buy food and buy the cheapest things on sale only.
Our income on paper is enough to put us middle class, so we don't qualify for programs and significant tuition breaks but not enough to live on.

So, we're not starving but don't eat healthy and can't afford guests.
Working on improving income
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amother
Violet


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:48 pm
Op do you know a 2 income family that literally sends the kids to bed hungry? Meaning they are paying other bills before food, have no access to a food kitchen, have no relatives, or rav who can give them $50 to buy bread, pasta, and water? I thankfully find this impossible to believe.
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amother
Seafoam


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 2:57 pm
we have $100,000 in debt but we have food coming out of our eyeballs. OFTEN a box of non perishables lands on our doorstep. We don't have time to eat all that when another box arrives. It's much easier to qualify for help with food, at least where we live, than to qualify for help with rent or tuition or health insurance or debt payment. And yes of course if we're low on something we need to eat we'll buy (with debit card--- not going FURTHER into debt, thanks) it over paying another $100 to a credit card.
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amother
Amber


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 3:47 pm
keym wrote:
And I maintain that while I don't know of any, I can see it happening.
A family who owes thousands of dollars to tuition- haven't paid in months. And the school is threatening to kick out the kids. And they maxed out on the credit card. Could I imagine that they would use that last $100 in their pocket for tuition and go hungry for a bit? Its not so farfetched.
Especially since WIC and food stamps aren't an option since this family probably exceeds the income.
And tomchei shabbos is not easy to get on to.

I would hope that this family squeezes enough for beans and rice but.....


My sil is a teacher and she told me about a girl in her class who was sent home because they are so behind on tuition. She couldn't understand why the parents don't borrow the money or put it on their credit cards.

I didn't want to tell her my own reality, very few people know this, but the only reason my kids aren't the ones taken out of class is because some very special people are paying our tuition. Our credit cards are completely maxed out, we are in serious danger of having our house foreclosed, we are trying to sell it but not having much luck. We owe so much money that we can't just borrow any more.

Are my kids going to bed hungry? No, because we buy food instead of pay tuition, pay the mortgage, pay the utilities, go to the doctor, go to the dentist. We have gotten shutoff notices and B"H always managed to pay at the last minute...........so far. We eat a lot of potatoes, beans, eggs, pasta, so we aren't hungry, but it's not the nutritious, healthy food we would like to eat.

Yes, we both work full time, but due to dh's mental health issues he isn't able to earn enough right now and we just aren't making it.

Like other people said, you probably won't find frum people starving today in America, but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of people who are having MAJOR financial issues. Life is expensive, frum life is even more expensive and not everyone is capable of providing for their families.
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thunderstorm




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 3:50 pm
amother wrote:
My sil is a teacher and she told me about a girl in her class who was sent home because they are so behind on tuition. She couldn't understand why the parents don't borrow the money or put it on their credit cards.

I didn't want to tell her my own reality, very few people know this, but the only reason my kids aren't the ones taken out of class is because some very special people are paying our tuition. Our credit cards are completely maxed out, we are in serious danger of having our house foreclosed, we are trying to sell it but not having much luck. We owe so much money that we can't just borrow any more.

Are my kids going to bed hungry? No, because we buy food instead of pay tuition, pay the mortgage, pay the utilities, go to the doctor, go to the dentist. We have gotten shutoff notices and B"H always managed to pay at the last minute...........so far. We eat a lot of potatoes, beans, eggs, pasta, so we aren't hungry, but it's not the nutritious, healthy food we would like to eat.

Yes, we both work full time, but due to dh's mental health issues he isn't able to earn enough right now and we just aren't making it.

Like other people said, you probably won't find frum people starving today in America, but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of people who are having MAJOR financial issues. Life is expensive, frum life is even more expensive and not everyone is capable of providing for their families.

There are many many of us living exactly like this. But food there always is even if it's not the healthiest , best or even the most filling. But I think the OP understands that.
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amother
Slategray


 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 3:54 pm
I spend 300-400 hundred dollars weekly on food & my kids are always saying "I'm hungry- there's nothing to eat it here" Just like all kids & teenagers do, I think!
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keym




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 28 2018, 3:54 pm
amother wrote:
My sil is a teacher and she told me about a girl in her class who was sent home because they are so behind on tuition. She couldn't understand why the parents don't borrow the money or put it on their credit cards.

I didn't want to tell her my own reality, very few people know this, but the only reason my kids aren't the ones taken out of class is because some very special people are paying our tuition. Our credit cards are completely maxed out, we are in serious danger of having our house foreclosed, we are trying to sell it but not having much luck. We owe so much money that we can't just borrow any more.

Are my kids going to bed hungry? No, because we buy food instead of pay tuition, pay the mortgage, pay the utilities, go to the doctor, go to the dentist. We have gotten shutoff notices and B"H always managed to pay at the last minute...........so far. We eat a lot of potatoes, beans, eggs, pasta, so we aren't hungry, but it's not the nutritious, healthy food we would like to eat.

Yes, we both work full time, but due to dh's mental health issues he isn't able to earn enough right now and we just aren't making it.

Like other people said, you probably won't find frum people starving today in America, but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of people who are having MAJOR financial issues. Life is expensive, frum life is even more expensive and not everyone is capable of providing for their families.


Hugs. I'm sorry. I hope things get better.
But that's why I keep saying we can't have a food conversation independent of other finances.
And people wanting to say some line about how no one starves in America are ignoring the huge, obvious issues.
What about homeless? What about no utilities? What about no medical insurance? What about kids out of school?
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