[vanguardisle]

Florida along with most of the country recently changed their food stamps rules making it harder to qualify for food stamps. The reason I think is because the unemployment levels have gone down. Some say the changes are a good thing others call them heartless.

My daughter applied for food stamps and was denied. She is a full time college student and she volunteers more then 80 hours a month at a local school. She has won awards for her volunteer work and they do appreciate and need her.

The crazy thing is that if she was not a college student and did that much volunteer work she would still be eligible for food stamps under the rules if I read them correctly but because she is a college student her volunteer work suddenly does not count. This makes no sense to me. It also states that if she was working and getting paid 80 hours a month while also a student she would be eligible for food stamps but if she is donating her work for free she is not eligible? That also makes no sense to me. They do not allow students to volunteer their time like they do everyone else. I would presume that somebody who is getting paid for their work has some money for food but somebody like my daughter working for free needs it even more. Now she may not be able to donate as much time to the school as she was before .

College students in Florida are being punished for donating their time to their communities through volunteer work by having their foods stamps taken away. It is not easy to be a full time college student. My daughter tells me that in one of her classes they discussed the issue and many of the students reported being on the " ramen noodle diet" and struggling to afford food. I think they should allow college students who volunteer to receive food stamps.

[Cryinsham30]

SO let me get this straight, you are advocating that an able bodied young adult, that is attending college should be eligible for tax payer funded SNAP benefits? She can volunteer 80+ hours a month while keeping up grades etc. so no barriers to an employment schedule whatsoever? Seriously? and folks wonder why we are over 18.559 trillion in debt at the time of this posting?

Tell your daughter to drop the goody two shoes, and put on some work boots.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by Cryinsham30

SO let me get this straight, you are advocating that an able bodied young adult, that is attending college should be eligible for tax payer funded SNAP benefits? She can volunteer 80+ hours a month while keeping up grades etc. so no barriers to an employment schedule whatsoever? Seriously? and folks wonder why we are over 18.559 trillion in debt at the time of this posting?

Tell your daughter to drop the goody two shoes, and put on some work boots.

Agreed!!

[vanguardisle]

Originally Posted by Cryinsham30

SO let me get this straight, you are advocating that an able bodied young adult, that is attending college should be eligible for tax payer funded SNAP benefits? She can volunteer 80+ hours a month while keeping up grades etc. so no barriers to an employment schedule whatsoever? Seriously? and folks wonder why we are over 18.559 trillion in debt at the time of this posting?

Tell your daughter to drop the goody two shoes, and put on some work boots.

She has a learning disability and some of these full time classes have been a real challenge for her. No she really cannot do everything. She cannot work, volunteer, and go to school full time with all the homework and stress. Something has to give and guess what it will be ? The school she volunteers at that needs her.

[cfbs2691]

Sorry but you aren't going to convince me that she should get on the taxpayers dole. If she can go to school,volunteer, then there's some job out there she can do to finance her life.
It'd probably be a great learning experience for her as well.

A college degree is not a right.
Some of us couldn't finish because we couldn't afford it and never ever considered that the rest of the country was supposed to finance it for us.

[GreggT]

Originally Posted by vanguardisle

She has a learning disability and some of these full time classes have been a real challenge for her. No she really cannot do everything. She cannot work, volunteer, and go to school full time with all the homework and stress. Something has to give and guess what it will be ? The school she volunteers at that needs her.

Have you thought about helping her yourself instead of looking to the tax payers?

[vanguardisle]

Originally Posted by cfbs2691

Sorry but you aren't going to convince me that she should get on the taxpayers dole. If she can go to school,volunteer, then there's some job out there she can do to finance her life.
It'd probably be a great learning experience for her as well.

A college degree is not a right.
Some of us couldn't finish because we couldn't afford it and never ever considered that the rest of the country was supposed to finance it for us.

What I cannot understand is why under Florida rules those who are not students who volunteer the same amount of time are eligible for food stamps help but student volunteers are not? She is not asking for money she is asking for food.

[vanguardisle]

Originally Posted by GreggT

Have you thought about helping her yourself instead of looking to the tax payers?

I do all I can to help her but I have a low income myself .The food stamps would be very helpful for us.

[5ForksSC]

Originally Posted by vanguardisle

I do all I can to help her but I have a low income myself .The food stamps would be very helpful for us.

Is the volunteer work mandatory in order to maintain her scholarships? It also, based on info you provided, seems that she should be eligible for a "work study" program. Those dollars can be disbursed to her or applied towards educational costs.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by vanguardisle

I do all I can to help her but I have a low income myself .The food stamps would be very helpful for us.

Why don't you get a 2nd job to help her and yourself through this period?