Home Parenting
Raising children is so difficult. Parenting is challenging even in the best of circumstances, let alone when your financial situation isn't the best. As a parent, struggling to provide essentials for your kids can be absolutely devastating.
No family should ever go hungry, but sometimes, it's nearly impossible to make ends meet. Food insecurity is a reality for many families in the United States, and when those families finally attain the help they need, it's a huge relief. Artist, influencer and mom of three Jen Seidel recently sat down for a TikTok interview to tell her story about receiving food stamps, and it's giving people the feels.
Seidel is a successful artist.
@wereallinsane Raising 3 kids on food stamps #podcast #podcastclips #wereallinsane ♬ original sound - We're All Insane
Today, she is known for her tremendous talent in the world of body painting, but her life wasn't always beautiful works of art. Seidel struggled to keep food on the table for herself and three children. Devorah Roloff recently interviewed Seidel for the podcast We're All Insane to talk about her family's battle with food insecurity.
"We would go to the dollar store for food, and I would give each kid $2 and say, 'You can buy whatever you want with your two dollars,'" Seidel shared. "And we'd leave with $10 worth of food from the dollar store because that's what we could afford."
She was unable to get food stamps.
For a long time, Seidel was unable to receive food stamps. She told Roloff that she continually applied but was denied. And then, one day she was approved, and she just wanted to celebrate.
Her children came home from school, and she shared the great news with them. They had $550 to spend on food.
Her family was finally able to shop at a real grocery store.
Instead of heading back to the dollar store, Seidel took her children to shop at a Giant Food grocery store. She told them they could have anything that they wanted: If they could carry it to the cart, it was theirs. She finally felt relief that her children would get the food that they needed and that they wanted. She didn't even care if they spent all $550 in one stop.
"I just wanted them to feel like they could have whatever they wanted because we struggled for so long," she said.
Cue the tears …
So many moms can empathize with Seidel.
She is not alone in her struggles as a single mom. Many other women have felt the same way.
"Girl I have been there. the best feeling is seeing them get what they want! crying thinking of these times," one person commented.
Her story reminded others of their childhoods and the feelings that they had.
"I remember crying as a kid when my mom got hers, she told me we wouldn't have to go to the food banks anymore," someone else wrote.
Parents want their children to have the best they can, and it feels good to provide that.
"This is so real, no better feeling than when that money hits your card and you get to cook good food for your babies," another person commented.
Sadly, the broken system is still a problem for so many.
Food assistance programs in the US are far from perfect, and many families still struggle.
"I had my SNAP takin away bc I moved in with my sons father instead of being homeless. I literally had nothing to my name just a suitcase and newborn," one mom wrote.
"I spend all mine and still need to use cash. ppl act like we are living the life on welfare. we aren't. we are still struggling," another person noted.
"So much respect. I've had to choose between food and electric for my kids. It's hard. I always chose food but I feel you! Those days remind me," another person commented.
Millions of Americans live with food insecurity.
Feeding America reported that according to the USDA, 34 million Americans live with food insecurity. Among those, many do not qualify for food assistance and must rely on local food banks and other programs for additional resources.
Food insecurity affects all communities, races, and ethnicities but is more common in African American, Latino, and Native American communities. "To achieve a hunger-free America, we must address the root causes of hunger and structural and systemic inequities," Feeding America noted.
Colleen Dilthey Thomas
