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Author Archives: tmould
“Johnny”
Disabled But Still Expected to Work —Alamance County, NC, resident— Well, I’ve had several experiences with my daddy-in-law. He was unable to work; he was blind in one eye, and he lost use of his left arm. And he went … Continue reading
Posted in Food Stamps, General Public, Health & Disability, Stigma/Stereotype
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“Cindy”
Alamance County resident.
Change in Circumstances
So, I didn’t know my daughter’s dad was on welfare until she said something about it. Well, she didn’t know it was welfare; she asked me about a grocery store receipt. I’m like, “What? I mean, how does this man go from driving a Mercedes and living in a fancy house to welfare and food stamps?” Continue reading
Posted in Food Stamps, General Public, Health & Disability, One Bad Turn of Events, Stigma/Stereotype
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Eddie Boswell
Stigma about Food Aid —Alamance County, NC, politician— Like I say, some people just would do anything not to do it [accept government assistance] because it just feels like they’re less than what they should be is pretty much it. … Continue reading
Posted in Food Stamps, Housing, Politicians, Stigma/Stereotype
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Tim Sutton
Alamance County Commissioner Tim Sutton.
Eligibility
My wife and I had two boys and she had a daughter, my step-daughter. My wife did not work ever until I lost a job, the job at the bank. I wanted her home with the kids and we sacrificed a lot of our material gains, but as a family, we were a better family unit. My mother never worked. I never knew my mother to have a job. And years ago, the wives and the mothers were home. Every mother in my neighborhood when I was a kid in Virginia and Alabama was home. Nobody worked.
My wife and I, we qualified for reduced lunches at our kids’ schools, and I was shocked that I did… Continue reading
Posted in Making ends meet, One bad choice, Politicians, Stigma/Stereotype
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Tracy S.
Alamance County, NC, aid provider and former recipient.
The Stigma of Temporary Aid
My ex-husband and I owned a restaurant and the restaurant, it started not going very well. And so he actually started having a drinking problem. So at that point, I decided to move out. So my son, who was three or four at the time, we moved into an apartment… Continue reading
Posted in Aid Providers, Aid Recipients, Health & Disability, Place: Alamance County, Single Parenting, Stigma/Stereotype, Stories
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Diverse Voices
In 1976, Ronald Reagan hit the campaign trail with a story about a woman with 80 names, 30 addresses, 12 Social Security cards, 4 non-existent deceased husbands, and $150,000 in unearned benefits. The story caught fire and “the welfare queen” … Continue reading
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Cola
“Making the Safety Net More Visible in Philadelphia,” by Jon Hurdel. New York Times, Aug. 30, 2013. Photo by Mark Makela/New York Times. Cola Dockery, 34, was released from prison in February after serving six months for burglary and armed robbery, … Continue reading
Posted in Around the U.S., Food Stamps, Housing, Making ends meet, One bad choice, Transportation, Truth 1: No one gets rich, Truth 4: People want to work
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Gladys James
“Making the Safety Net More Visible in Philadelphia,” by Jon Hurdel. New York Times, Aug. 30, 2013. Photo by Mark Makela/New York Times. Like many poor people in this city, Gladys James did not know she was entitled to free home … Continue reading
Posted in Aid Recipients, Around the U.S., Food Stamps, Truth 1: No one gets rich, Truth 2: Poverty is the problem
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