As of this writing, SNAP food benefits are under threat in North Dakota. Last year, 48,700 (6.1%) North Dakotans relied on SNAP.

Yet, I hear people around town, many of them Christian, who dismiss the pain – dismiss the poor themselves. They seem to have forgotten the saying, “There, but by the grace of God, go I.”

About 20 years ago, my husband and I struggled. I remember shedding tears at a Michigan food pantry providing stale, expired food. We lived in a crummy flat with drafty windows, with a $300+ heating bill. We worked part-time jobs. Working poor.

We weren’t alone. We witnessed homeless people in Detroit, and in Minnesota, I had students living in their cars.

Yet, locals say that schools should not supply meals, because that’s the job of parents. And to the parents, “Just get a

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