PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Lucy Wisener, uses Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits to support her family, including her 15-year-old son with autism.
Wisener feels that, despite her working 80 hours a month, there is a stigma associated with her using the benefits.
The 48-year-old part-time cashier at Kroger in Dallas thinks many people judge those on SNAP benefits, thinking that they don’t work or waste the money.
Channel 2’s Bryan Mims said the interview with Wisener almost didn’t happen.
At first, Wisener was adamant: No way would she go on TV and admit she uses SNAP.
“I feel like people judge people like myself,” Wisener said. “I go to the store and try to hide that I’m paying with an EBT card.”
Then she had a change of heart, telling me people need to hear stories and see faces like hers, because this hurts.
“It feels like a slap in the face. Like really, right now? Especially with the holidays coming up. I feel like it’s just pure cruelty, like they’re punishing us,” Wisener said.
Because her son with autism needs supervision, she can only work part-time as a cashier at Kroger. She rents her modest house. She has no car.
Wisener said she’s held a SNAP card for a few years now. “It’s not a lot, but it helps,” she said.
She lives frugally, often shopping at thrift stores, and is prepared to turn to food banks if necessary.
She’s required to work 80 hours a month, which she does. And yet, she says, there’s a stigma.
According to the Pew Research Center, 62.7% of SNAP recipients are white, 27% are Black, 3.8% are Asian and 6.6% fall under other races.
Government data shows that over 17,000 people in Paulding County relied on SNAP benefits last year, accounting for about 9% of the population.
Despite the challenges, Wisener remains determined to make it through, saying, “But you know, I’m gonna make it somehow.”
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