Food stamp fight hits home
At 44, Marie JeanLouis has a master’s degree, a Realtor’s license and a storage unit full of big furniture — leftovers from the 7-bedroom Woodstock house she lost to the recession. For $9 an hour, she works from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. as a home-health aide to support herself and four daughters.
Soon, as one of the 1.8 million Georgians who receive food stamps, she may have to pay as much as $40 to take a drug test. She doesn’t object to that requirement, but she wonders how much the lawmakers who imposed it really understand about the lives of low-wage workers like her.
Ever since the precursor to food stamps was created in 1939, lawmakers have debated how to help those who can’t fully support themselves without coddling those who can. Sunday, step inside the life of one Georgian who inhabits the reality politicians argue about.
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About the Author
Rosalind Bentley is an award-winning feature writer focusing on culture, arts and sometimes food, as they are expressed and experienced in Atlanta. She is a two-time James Beard Award finalist and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
