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#1373073 - 11/12/12 07:01 PM
New Welfare Queens: yuppies and hipsters
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newsman38
Senior Member
Registered: 03/21/01
Posts: 3751
Loc: Fourth Estate
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They're young, they're broke, and they pay for organic salmon with government subsidies.
Faced with lingering unemployment, 20- and 30-somethings with college degrees and foodie standards are shaking off old taboos about who should get government assistance and discovering that government benefits can indeed be used for just about anything edible, including wild-caught fish, organic asparagus and triple-crème cheese.
recent changes made to the program as part of last year’s stimulus package, which relaxed the restrictions on able-bodied adults without dependents to collect food stamps, have made some young singles around the country eligible for the first time.
And in cities that are magnets for 20- and 30-something creatives and young professionals, the kinds of food markets that specialize in delectables like artisanal bread, heirloom tomatoes and grass-fed beef have seen significant upticks in food stamp payments among their typical shoppers. At the Wedge, a market in the stylish Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis; at New Seasons Market, a series of nine specialty stores in and around Portland, Ore.; and at Rainbow Grocery, a stalwart for food lovers in San Francisco’s Mission District, food stamp purchases have doubled in the past year.
“The use has gone way up in the last six months,” said Eric Wilcox, a cashier who has worked at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco for 10 years. “We’re seeing a lot more young people in their 20s purchasing organic food with food stamp cards. I wouldn’t say it’s limited to hipster people, but I’m certainly surprised to see them with cards.”
Monday, Mar 15, 2010 08:20 PM EDT
Hipsters on food stamps
Slate Magazine
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#1373107 - 11/12/12 10:45 PM
Re: New Welfare Queens: yuppies and hipsters
[Re: newsman38]
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Cuzi Sedso
Senior Member
Registered: 11/06/11
Posts: 1428
Loc: NY
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That's as infuriating as that welfare recipient driving around in a Lexus to distribute free cell phones!
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#1373181 - 11/13/12 05:59 PM
Re: New Welfare Queens: yuppies and hipsters
[Re: Cuzi Sedso]
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PO'ed Moderate
Member
Registered: 02/26/12
Posts: 39
Loc: middle of the road and getting...
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Saw the title and thought you were whining about corporations getting government handouts.
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