A 68-year-old grandmother leaned against the metal railing near the entrance of Arizona’s Department of Economic Security building in downtown Phoenix to support her ailing back. In less than two days, the benefits allocated from this building that she counts on to feed her family were set to expire.
For much of her life, Lena Vilna has relied on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to feed her family. Without a high school diploma, she worked at Kmart and Walmart while raising five of her grandchildren on her own. She relied on SNAP to feed them. Those kids are adults now — and Vilna is now retired, living on a tight fixed income. She lives with one of her daughters in a two-bedroom apartment in central Phoenix and cares for her three grandchildren. The youngest, who is 6 years old, was born with spina bifida. He uses a wheelchair to get around.
A typical family like Vilna’s, which follows a low-cost plan, spends about $1,350 a month on food, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But Vilna’s family receives just $800 a month on their EBT card to spend on groceries. Vilna makes most of the family’s meals out of simple ingredients: beans, potatoes, rice. Chicken is an occasional treat…