When Lee Harris’ SNAP benefits didn’t come through on Nov. 11, he was forced to get creative. Having already exhausted the family’s October benefits, the 34-year-old stay-at-home dad in Little Rock, Arkansas, visited the local food pantries for leftover lentils and nearby grocery stores for marked-down yogurt and vegetables. Everything else came from deep within his freezer or the harvest from a friend’s garden. “That Sunday, I got on Facebook and told everyone to come hang out for lunch and let the kids be crazy, no judgement zone,” Harris says. “I made lentil chili and baked potatoes. This was a crappy time for everybody. I just felt like us being together would bring a light during these hard freaking times.”

Harris and his family are among the 42 million Americans who qualify for th

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