Bridging the gap
State food assistance aiding more students, residents purchasing groceries
By Keiara Tenant (Last updated: 09/18/08 10:19pm)When Brandon White steps up to the register in the grocery store, he wishes he could just pay with cash, instead of a bright-orange food stamps card.
“People associate that with (someone) not being able to stand on their own two feet,” said White, a technology systems management senior. “It’s nothing against my pride. I know I can take care of myself, but the government is offering to help out college students like myself.”
The Michigan Bridge Card is a debit-like card that can be used to make food purchases at select convenience and grocery stores in the state. The state Department of Human Services, or DHS, issues the cards as part of its food-assistance program.
White is one of many college students who uses the Bridge Card to help ease some of the financial burdens of college.
As of April, 16.9 percent of individuals ages 18-25 received government assistance through the Bridge Card program.
The Bridge Card
The Bridge Card can be used only to make food purchases, with food stamps disbursed electronically once a month. The amount of assistance an individual or family receives varies based on needs, assets and expenses.
Beginning Oct. 1, a single person can receive no more than $172 per month. The minimum amount will be $14, according to DHS.
The Bridge Card replaced food-coupon booklets in 2000. The card allows the user more freedom to manage his or her money and eliminates the hassle of carrying a booklet.
The Bridge Card has helped eliminate some of the stigma associated with using government assistance, DHS spokesperson Colleen Steinman said — but many people still believe individuals and families who use the food assistance program are lazy and unmotivated.
“In fact, nearly one-third of all households that receive food assistance are working and reporting income,” Steinman said. “They simply don’t make enough money to pay all the bills.”
DHS uses an application process to determine eligibility, Steinman said. It can take up to 30 days to process but there is an emergency category for those who need it.
“We look at income, expenses, assets and other pertinent information and compare them against the specific program’s rules and policies,” Steinman said.
The application can be found online, at www.michigan.gov/dhs, or at the Ingham County DHS office, 5303 S. Cedar St. in Lansing.
Students and food assistance
In July, the DHS reported that 18 percent of all Michigan residents were receiving some form of assistance.
The state’s Food Assistance Program also set a record in July, with assistance being given to 604,863 households — representing 1,287,884 individuals.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a student or a working adult or a senior — we want everyone who qualifies for food assistance to have it,” Steinman said. “No one should go hungry, and this is an important program that helps people supplement their nutritional needs.”
In the past five years, the number of Michigan households receiving food stamps has increased 53 percent, according to a report by WSYM Fox 47 in Lansing.
“College students need to fuel their bodies, so their brains work better — and they can use education to pull themselves out of poverty and obtain the knowledge and training they need to become successful, self-sufficient adults,” Steinman said.
White said he has used government assistance for six months.
Because he’s a student, White’s work hours were limited to 20 hours per week, with most of his income being divided between rent and other bills.
“A lot of people forget that earning a degree is a full-time job in itself — and you don’t get paid for it,” he said. “Once you’re out of the dorms, the cost of food is coming out of your pockets.”
This reality spurred White to apply for food assistance. He was approved to receive the equivalent of $120 per month.
“At first I thought it was too much, but then I got to shopping and saw how fast things add up,” White said. “I spent the whole thing in one trip to the grocery store and it lasted for about a month.”
Applicants are certified for a period of one to 12 months. At the end of that period, their application is reviewed to see if their financial status has changed.
Since White worked more hours during the summer, the amount of food stamps he received was reduced to $16 monthly. He said he’s in the process of reapplying to raise his benefits.
“I can’t say I wasn’t upset but I can understand I wasn’t taking classes and I didn’t have a lot of responsibilities to worry about,” White said. “(DHS) depends on you to do some of it yourself.”
Shopping healthy
White said the Bridge Card pushes life skills and has made him a wiser shopper.
“It encouraged me to get away from fast foods — and honestly, I’ve never cooked as much as I did until I got (a card),” he said.
Michigan’s Food Stamp and Nutrition Education Program, based at MSU, can help those who haven’t learned how to shop for healthy foods by using the Bridge Card. The program is available in all 83 counties of Michigan.
The program was started with the goal of providing nutritional education to food stamp recipients, MSU program leader Karen Martin said.
Participants also learn how to stretch their food dollars, make healthy choices while shopping and learn the importance of physical activity, Martin said.
Last year, the program serviced 5,072 adults.
To get involved, students can visit Ingham County MSU Extension office, 5303 South Cedar St., in Lansing. Staff can meet with students in their home or with friends and neighbors.
“I would encourage (students) to get involved with the program because they will have research-based information to help them make informed food and physical activity choices that will promote their health and prevent the onset of disease,” Martin said.
“Most students don’t have a lot of money — and in this program they can learn how to make those choices without spending a lot of money.”
Originally Published: 09/18/08 10:00pm
Juan
09/18/08 11:30pmLet me get this right…I worked as an attorney full time while getting my MBA, but if someone would rather not work while they go to school, then they can get food assistance that I help pay for. WTF.
School is a choice. If you can’t afford it, get a job at least part-time. Please don’t ask those of us who work to subsidize your desire not to. That’s not the decent thing to do. Save the food stamps for people who are actually in need.
Fredrik
09/19/08 12:02amJuan you’re just bitter that you didn’t take advantage of it! Getting food stamps while in college is so you don’t have the strain of a job as a full-time student! Going to school isn’t about paying for it, it’s about learning. Besides, who’s to say that there isn’t enough food stamp money allocated for whoever applies/needs them (and the application for the bridge card determines your level of need).
Steve
09/19/08 7:16am“Going to school isn’t about paying for it, it’s about learning.”
Is that supposed to be some kind of joke? I work part-time and I am in medical school. Last spring I was taking 26 credit hours of graduate-level courses, and some how I still managed to work. You chose to go to college. If you can’t cut it financially, then cut back your class load and work half of the week. There are ways to do it with good time management and proper use of LOANS. Stop mooching off the people that actually have a job. Many people from poor backgrounds make it through college without having to draw from the welfare system.
Juan
09/19/08 7:19amFredrik:
I guess you miss the point. I’m all for helping out those who are desperately in need, struggling to raise kids in the face of job losses or some such thing. But someone who finds it more convenient to be a full-time student rather than to work? Well, if we’re talking about them getting aid from a charity, that’s one thing. But the food stamp program is coerced charity through taxation, “charity at the barrel of a gun”, so to speak.
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Eric
09/19/08 9:06amThe people I know who are on this are far from being in need. Most of their parents are paying for the school and rent. They just need it for grocery money. There are some serious flaws in how they distribute these cards. It is based off of your own personal assets but it does not factor in the money parents give the kids as gifts since those are not reported. If the kid shows a $3000 bank account, he can claim he is paying for rent and school when he really isn’t. They do a very lax job checking these things and plenty of people are stealing these government handouts intended for the poor.
silly
09/19/08 9:44am“Once you’re out of the dorms, the cost of food is coming out of your pockets.” Somehow I have a hard time believing anyone coming off a $6000 MSU mealplan can’t figure out how to feed themselves for the equivilent of $700 a month. It all comes out of your pocket brother, unless your on the government’s tab for board too.
David
09/19/08 9:44amI’m split, gang. Half of me shares Juan’s sentiments about coerced charity. But, the other half of me would rather see assistance go to students who, presumably, will obtain gainful employment and subsequently “pay back” (“Pay forward”?) their share via taxes…versus the handouts to n’er-do-wells who don’t have jobs but have fancy new sneakers and play their X-box all day. If the program is truly an investment in society…I’m in favor. If it’s just a reward for the perpetually lazy and unproductive…count me out.
MSU
09/19/08 10:12amI don’t think we have the right to judge. I know a lot of kids that have to pay their way through college. Maybe those of you that are complaining are the ones that had everything handed to them by mom or dad. I know that I am looking into the bridge card because I graduated from MSU and my field of work is definately not a high paying profession. I work 40+ hours a week and hardly make enough to pay rent, bills, etc. Not everyone is looking to be “lazy” and ask for a handout.
Josh
09/19/08 10:14amI am a college student on food stamps and I think it’s a great thing, Sorry Steve I don’t want to cut my load back because I would like to start working full time before I’m 30. I would much rather have us college students using food stamps then some crack head who just chooses not to work. I also work 15-20 hours a week SO IT’S NOT LIKE I’M CHOOSING NOT TO WORK. I pay for my own school, my rent, car insurance, cell phone, and everything else I need.
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Student
09/19/08 10:25amJuan.
Are you kidding me? Your ignorance is astonishing.
I work TWO part time jobs, AND I am a full time student and it’s still not enough to cover all of the bills. I pay taxes too, you know, and the assistance is here for those of us who need it.
Just because someone is working does not mean it’s necessarily enough to pay for everything.
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jjones
09/19/08 11:16amARE YOU ALL F@CKING SERIOUS?????
Where the heck do you think all the money comes for these Bridge Cards?? TAXES…MY TAXES…YOUR TAXES…….
Why am I subsidizing people to go to school? These cards were designed for dirt poor people(old, people in absolute poverty) so they don’t starve…not for punk white kids in College. College is a CHOICE….if you can’t afford it don’t go.
Oh..and I’m SURE that Brandon couldn’t possibly squeeze another $170 out of his budget…I would bet my left arm that Brandon has a cell phone, goes out for beer with his buddies, etc etc….
No wonder this country is in such a unbelievable financial mess…everyone expects others to pay for them
Colin
09/19/08 11:27am‘Student’ above.
You work two jobs and are a full time student, and still can’t pay your bills? Pardon me, but lay off the sauce for a few semesters and act like someone who needs to be fiscally responsible.
I am pretty sure that – and I could be wrong – your loans were all cosigned, or paid for, by your parents.
I work 40 hours a week and go to school. I pay my tuition, all my bills, and go out once in a while. I refuse to get a Bridge Card because I believe other people need it more than me.
And this nonsense about note getting a good job? How about trying to find one? Have you? I make $22 an hour working at a job that I had to find by myself.
Student
09/19/08 11:53amColin,
You are right to consider the possibility that you “could” be wrong.
Firstly, telling me to “lay off the sauce” was rude and uncalled for. I am 18 years old, I don’t go out to the bar, I don’t go to parties, I don’t drink and it’s none of your business anyway.
Secondly, you would be VERY wrong to assume that any of my college expenses are paid for or even close to cosigned by my parents.
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unknown
09/19/08 11:55amI can see both sides this. On one hand there are plenty of students such as myself who have absolutely no help from their parents or siblings. For all I know my parents probably don’t even know where I go to college, they were both alcoholic bums. There are students that need this but there are also students that abuse it as well. I have looked into the bridge card but not actually gotten around to putting in an application for one and I probably wont until I am forced to eat ramon noodles every day.
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common sense
09/19/08 12:50pmIf the cards went to people who couldn’t afford it, I’d be happy. If it goes to save some dude beer money and teach him proper nutrition, and to spend his cash at a grocery store instead of blowing it on fast food, Granholm deserves a kick in the balls.
Josh
09/19/08 1:19pmHey jjones Student loans are there for a reason so we can go to school and get a good job. Sorry i can’t afford college and I am living on student loans but it’s the only way i can find a good enough job to support a family in the future
Past Student
09/19/08 2:00pmPrior to MSU I worked full time and paid my taxes-no bridge card.
Attended MSU- used bridge card.
Finished at MSU, work full time and pay taxes-no bridge card.
Now maybe my situation was a little different since I had a five year old when I started at msu, I was also 36 when I made the transition back to school and had paid taxes since I began working at 17 years old.
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Obama (bin Laden)
09/19/08 2:35pmMSU: “I know that I am looking into the bridge card because I graduated from MSU and my field of work is definately not a high paying profession.”
Who’s fault is that?? If you go to a Big 10 university expect to pay high tuition. Just because you feel the need to go to a good school to work a lousy paying job is not my fault or anyone who has read this article.
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Thanks for the Tip
09/19/08 2:54pmI didn’t know college students could get a bridge card. I may have to get one myself. I pay 30k in tuition and work 20 hrs/week at $11/hr. Thanks State News!
Erin
09/19/08 6:42pm“If you canât cut it financially, then cut back your class load and work half of the week. “
Yeah, cause that’s always possible.
...I have more than a full schedule of classes, I work part time and I have 18 hrs of week of an unpaid internship. Unpaid internship is requred for my major. Along with that most of my classes are required to be taken at the same time as my internship.
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Steve
09/20/08 1:59amErin – Stop being lazy. Pick a different major if you can’t afford the setup you are currently functioning with. Something has to give, either your lifestyle or your class load. Why do I have to pay for you to get through school? College is a luxury.
Another thing… if you are so poor, then tell your mom to stop being a tightwad and using you as a tax deduction. Then stand on your own two feet financially and you can become independent.
On a finishing note… COLLEGE IS A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT.
Erin
09/20/08 6:52am“Why do I have to pay for you to get through school?”
Because if you don’t, you could be arrested for tax evasion, that’s why.
And I don’t feel sorry about that. If someone who has enough money to get by just fine has to pay a tiny portion of that in taxes so other people have the basic necessities of living like food, I’m not going to be upset that the first person had to pay a little bit of money to help those who didn’t have the same privileges of them. And look up where your taxes go. The bridge card system is not where the majority of your taxes go. The fraction of what you pay that you are whining about is so small.
John Q.Public
09/20/08 4:11pmAmen,Erin!!! Maybe these “anti-government” waterheads should stay in their bunkers!!“I WORKED as an attorney while getting my MBA”..Are you serious? Attorneys are more of a parasite than the poor people who need a helping hand DOUCHEBAGS!!!
Julius Holmes
09/21/08 1:46pmI think this article goes to show the stigma that america automatically places on people who go and get assistance. I get sooooo tired of people saying work harder. I don’t think most students have worked as hard as i have. I worked as a janitor for 5 years to get through school to buy books. Ive literally cleaned feces off of toilet stools till 4 oclock in the morning at the physical plant.
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small chunk my a$$
09/21/08 3:37pmErin,
To your comment: The fraction of what you pay that you are whining about is so small.
First, I just graduated from MSU last spring and make about $42,000 a year. Of that, the government takes out about $11,000. That means I’m making only about $31,000 and still have to pay for all of my own living expenses. So please forgive me and the others when there are blatant violations of otherwise worthy programs intended to help people who are truly in need.
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Erin
09/21/08 5:14pm“That means Iâm making only about $31,000 “
ONLY $31,000 AFTER taxes right out of college! My god how do you survive? Cause lord knows you are totally the poorest person ever!
And I totally did not grow up in a single parent home that made significantly less than that or anything.
I feel soo sorry for you making ONLY $42,000 right out of college!
Oh, and learn to read, you pay no where near $11,000 a year to the bridge card program.
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Concerned
09/22/08 10:07amLet’s just ponder a few things about what’s in the best interest of all in this state and nation. In 2006, the U.S. had 1.3 million college grads. Impressive? China 3.3 million, India 3.1 million. The U.S. was not even in the top 10. Michigan ranks 37th in the nation with college grads, yet has the 9th largest population. World and national economy is changing. Manufacturing to Information to a present Knowledge economy which started in 2005.
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TopAssistant
09/22/08 12:09pmFredrik
You and the other scum like you are the reason this nation is BROKE! Go to Pete G. Peterson Foundation, I.O.U.S.A., Ross Perot Charts, and Truth in 2008 to name a name a few. We are over $56 trillion, 895 billion, 200 million in debt.
Josh A
09/30/08 12:28amIt really bothers me that the conservative viewpoints in this forum degrade the choice of higher education. Please realize that a better educated workforce is more productive and a more productive workforce increases incomes, thus bringing in more tax receipts. Now, a policy that helps increase the education of the work force is, by long-term thinking, good. So a food stamp program that helps students in this way is beneficial.
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