Stephanie Land

“Single parents do not have the luxury of purchasing an abundance of healthy foods for their kids to try. I know this. As a single mom, I've been there.”

“I would never want people to point at me and say, 'Well, she got herself off of food stamps, so anybody can if they work hard enough.' It's just not true.”

“I, for the most part, subsist on very little, high-quality, dense-in-nutrition food.”

“Many of my single mom friends and I had a fear of appearing poor, especially when we bought groceries with food stamps, or used WIC checks for milk.”

“To me, the only way we'll see a collective change in this country is by listening to people who have experienced life in the margins of society, who have lived less privileged versions of my story, in systemic poverty and facing structural racism.”

“When I saw the letter of acceptance for Snap - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, popularly known as food stamps - it was a moment of gratitude, and brief catharsis and relief. Still, I knew it wasn't a socially acceptable means to feed my family with. I saw the memes friends posted, chastising people on welfare.”

“My day planner is a constant companion as my organizer. And shows me that I am, in fact, getting things done.”

“The poor, and especially poor people of color, don't have the luxury of raising 'free-range' children without risking severe consequences. Parents of color don't receive a visit and a warning if their children are found playing alone; they are immediately blamed and far more likely to be arrested or lose custody of their children.”

“Keeping the magic alive can be as simple as going to the mall to sit on Santa's lap or reading special stories on Christmas Eve.”

“For me and other families struggling to make ends meet, paying for child care out of pocket is an impossible task.”

“I graduated with a bachelor's degree, $60,000 in debt, and due to have a baby in a month.”

“Christmas has rarely been a joyous time for me. I'm estranged from my family, and sometimes I don't have my oldest daughter with me.”

“I'd worn the same Carhartts and hoodies for years, and only bought clothes when the ones I had tore too many holes.”

“I don't think there is a true cure for PTSD.”

“I see my self-identity in the same way I see most things: a list, in greatest to least importance. I've found I can't use the multitude of hats analogy or some kind of flow chart where circles are connected by lines and entwined in Venn diagrams. I need a list. I need a top shelf.”

“I have a lot in common with most Trump supporters. I'm white, I live in a rural area that is predominantly white where many people struggle to find a job.”

“There's a thing called a 'welfare cliff,' and what happens is you get up to a threshold - which is a very firm line - and if you jump over it, then you lose all of your benefits.”

“I believe in the right to choose. I have chosen to end a pregnancy before.”

“Most people don't see themselves as sitting on that bottom rung as a defense mechanism. The more they blame poor people for their poverty, the further they feel from being in the same place. Even the working poor who qualify for food, childcare and housing benefits don't see themselves as such.”

“Nobody wants to admit their kid is the one with lice. Not only because of the work involved in getting rid of them, but because lice are still associated with dirt, grime, neglect and often poverty.”