Why doesn't NJ have direct reserve Funding for an EBT crisis?

I can’t stop asking myself: why did New Jersey’s state and local government wait until the last minute to come up with a plan to address the EBT crisis? Where were the reserves — the safety net for the safety net? America is in a crisis. From rising property taxes to high food prices. Everyone is being impacted!

The state just announced the disbursement of $42.5 million to cover the needs of roughly 800,000 current EBT recipients. On paper, that breaks down to about $53 per person. Fifty-three dollars. That’s not even a week’s worth of groceries for a family, much less a month. Are food banks expected to stretch that far — to turn $53 into security, dignity, and nutrition? They are already overburdened with assisting Federal Government workers who has not received a paycheck that has been impacted since October 1st.

The entire point of the EBT and SNAP programs is to preserve people’s power, self-respect, and dignity in hard times. But instead of preserving dignity, the system is piling on more red tape. SNAP recipients are being told to fill out additional forms just to receive assistance the government already knows they qualify for. The state and county already have our data. Why are they making us prove our need again?
Some recipients, the elderly and disabled will have their food delivered by volunteers. But the rest of us? We’re being sent to stand in food bank lines, hoping there’s enough left when we get there. We’re already fighting to maintain our dignity in circumstances that are beyond humbling. Now we have to resubmit paperwork just to access benefits that were already promised. People are living check to check. This has created a snow ball effect. Due to the interruption of benefits and the City announcing their plan on October 31 and says that the resources won't go live till 5pm on Monday November 3, 2025. This has put thousand's in crisis mode. We are 3 days without snap benefits.

The supermarkets and any food stores are being directly impacted due to the lose of revenue. This means HIGHER PRICES for EVERYONE!!!
This isn’t compassion. It’s disconnect. Officials and representatives may believe they’re helping, but they’re not seeing the human side of this — the panic of parents, the anxiety of seniors who don’t know when their benefits will return, the humiliation of having to beg for what should already be there.
Now that the court has ordered the federal government to fund snap benefits. The question remains: How long is the process for EBT to be restored? How long will recipients have to wait for the benefits to be fulfilled? How long will families have to wait for what’s already theirs?
And there’s another issue no one seems to want to talk about: food bank fairness. It’s no secret — though few will say it publicly — that some food bank employees put aside the best groceries for themselves. it's also a concern that the food that food banks receive are not standard quality for our residents. What safeguards will be put in place this time to ensure that food reaches the people who need it most?
We keep being told to be patient, to wait, to trust the process. But patience doesn’t feed children. Patience doesn’t keep the lights on.
So I’ll ask again: Where are the reserves?

Tanisha Garner

Concerned Resident

President

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