Public Assistance Resources

“The biggest and most deadly ‘tax’ rate on the poor comes from a loss of a various welfare state benefits - food stamps, housing subsidies and the like - if their income goes up.” ~ Thomas Sowell

Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! I hope everyone is staying safe, healthy, and sane, especially those who are parents [regardless of marital status] with young children but I mean that with endearment (yeah right, *Please note the sarcasm*). All links are provided in this blog for easier access to necessary documents to print out but you can view them at your own leisure time. I wanted to provide New York City residents with some resources that I have on my end but to the best of my knowledge for the moment and one that comes to mind is Single Stop because I’ve utilized their services since early 2015 in regards of public housing; filing for my taxes for free (providing if you earn under $54,000 annually) which is called FREE In-Person TAX Preparation; annual Medicaid and SNAP recertification. Single Stop also assist people with applying for both SNAP and Medicaid or Medicare. However, the only resources I am only able to [currently] provide is Single Stop and as well as participating CUNY colleges such as CUNY - LaGuardia Community College and CUNY - Queensborough Community College. Don’t get me wrong, I am aware that there are other resources similar to Single Stop where you’d be able to get everything or get as much done as possible. To me, it’s worth it because I don’t even earn heck of a lot at Staples and especially during tax season where I don’t get to pay anything since it is after all is free in-person tax preparation. I’m not cut out in doing my own taxes since I become easily frustrated and yet impatient but I will give the tax preparers more credit than I will ever give myself in this life. I’m sure there’s people out there that have more confidence in me than I have from within. And come to think of it, I have one more resource for those with children living in the New York City area. It’s the Child Center of New York and they provide services for counseling or even employment opportunities. It’s best to contact Single Stop at your earliest convenience if you’ve felt that you’ve fallen on hard times with putting food on the table or keeping up with the rent, etc. So far, as far as my knowledge are Single Stop; Child Center of New York; and select CUNY Colleges that are actively participating in Single Stop. The rest I would have to research a little more and update this blog or extend this blog into a Public Assistances Part II. If you’re looking to apply for public assistance online, there is also ACCESS - HRA and Fresh EBT and you can also download both apps on your phone as well. Both apps are available on Android and iPhones. Here are several articles I’ve found: AM NY: Here is a list of resources for those struggling during the coronavirus crisis; Daily News: How to stop NYC from starving: A coronavirus crisis imperative; USDA: SNAP benefits up 40 percent; New York Post: Why NYC grocery stores that cater to the rich are struggling amid coronavirus; Daily News: New social distancing efforts coming to NYC farmers markets, as vendors fears a shutdown; and The New York Times: Why Outdoor Farmers’ Markets Matter More Than Ever. Again, feel free to check it out at you own leisure.

-For Further Resources-

• ACCESS - HRA.
• Alternate High Schools and Internships.
• Child Center of NY: Single Stop.
• Reduced Fare Bike Share.
• Participating CUNY College locations for Single Stop.
• Department of Labor.
• Fresh E.B.T. [Electronic Benefits Transfer]
• Food Bank for New York City.
• Greenmarket Farmers Market.
• New York City 2019 - 2020 Year-Round Farmer Markets.
• Single Stop - USA.
• SNAP Now [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program]: (718) 762-7669.
• If you would like to request an in-person interview, call HRA’s info line: (718) 557-1399 to schedule an appointment or go to your local SNAP Center.
• Time Out: The best farmers’ markets in NYC.

-CUNY College-

Participating CUNY [The City University of New York] colleges for Single Stop.

• BMCC: CUNY - Borough of Manhattan Community College.
• Bronx Community College: CUNY - Bronx Community College.
• Guttman Community College: CUNY - Guttman Community College.
• Hostos Community College: CUNY - Hostos Community College.
• Kingsborough Community College: CUNY - Kingsborough Community College.
• LaGuardia Community College: CUNY - LaGuardia Community College.
• Queensborough Community College: CUNY - Queensborough Community College.
• John Jay College of Criminal Justice: John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

-SNAP [Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program] Benefits-

I am going to make an honest suggestion for those who have fallen on hard times in regards of putting food on the table is to apply for SNAP benefits is by making an appointment with Single Stop or through the website ACCESS - HRA, but first, you have two choices of Adorama or B&H: Photo Video Digital Cameras, Photography, Camcorders for flash drives and please do yourself a favor, buy yourself a flash drive such as a Kingston flash drive [in the links provided below] that can stay on your key chain full-time, gather all of your important documents and head to your local Queens Public Library [links are provided below] that have scanners and so far, I only know of four public libraries with scanners. Before you stop by at the library to scan your documents, make sure you have your landlord fill out the Primary Tenant’s Statement Regarding Occupancy of Secondary Tenant and this is when you make your way to the library to scan the documents. There should be considered miscellaneous set of documents but have the last ninety days worth of receipts from when you’ve gone grocery shopping and as well as clothes shopping. I would suggest gather all your receipts from clothes shopping, school supply shopping, if your phone carrier is: Boost Mobile; Total Wireless; T-Mobile; or Verzion [prepaid], visit a Duane Reade, CVS, or a Walgreen’s for a phone card and if you rely on public transportation, save all of your receipts for all three months. Make sure you pay for most or all of your groceries in cash so these people at the food stamp office cannot trace these transactions back to you and every once in a while is acceptable to use a charge card but not too often. On your flash drive, make sure you create a folder titled Public Assistance (all in capital so it’ll be easier to locate for future use); create separate folders to put different documents into each folder for when you’ll need to go into that specific folder for whatever documents you may need. At least have one folder titled Family Documents, meaning within that Public Assistance folder create a folder for yourself, if you’re married then create a separate folder for your spouse, and if you have dependents (children), create individual folders for everyone in your household. Be sure to even include an official transcript from high school, college, and also include at least your high school diploma along with at least two recent report cards from school. Do the same set of documents for you and your spouse and make sure you’ve included everything if in the event that these people at the food stamp office give you a hard time regarding your documents you’ve recently submitted. Let’s hope they’ll have all your documents on file and make sure you’ve scanned every document onto your flash drive as proof in case if your personal information gets lost in the mail. Reason being for individual folders for everyone living with you is because anything could happen within your household, meaning any situation relating to an unexpected death or a divorce then I’m sure you’re not looking to delete all the information you’ve spent time and energy scanning documents then having to start from scratch so to speak. When the time comes to do your annual recertification, make sure you make an appointment with Single Stop so they can properly assist you with your annual recertification for both SNAP and Medicaid. Just follow the guidelines for the documents you’ll need to submit and make sure you’ve scanned any paperwork that you’ve filled out so this way these people at the food stamp office cannot say shit to you that you’ve “never submitted” this document or that document. If you’re receiving SNAP benefits and Medicaid, check out these two articles but I don’t know how legit this is but worth the investigation of it: How To Increase Your Food Stamp Benefits and How to Get Free Government Internet and Laptop. Way I feel about the free laptop and free government internet is for Big Brother to keep tabs on your every move you make but not for your best interest but for themselves.

-SNAP Documents-

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Documentation Guide!
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) Income Guidelines.
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - CBPP.
• SNAP Application/Recertification - Office of Temporary and Disability!
• Primary Tenant’s Statement Regarding Occupancy of Secondary Tenant!
• W-532 Letter to Past and Present Employer.
• I know this form is used for in Family Court but I’m sure in its own way is useful for when you are submitting documents to the food stamp office. Income and Expenses NYC Family Court.
• It’s a great investment to have a presentation book from Staples to store your personal documents and a spare SNAP application to keep yourself organized. Staples Letter Clear Cover Presentation Book!

-Queens Library-

Here are some links to the four Queens public libraries with scanners. Be mindful that often times that some of these scanners tend to freeze up on you if you catch the scanner on its menstrual cycle so to speak and I know it sounds cheesy. I’ve had that experience before at both Bayside and Windsor where I was in the middle of scanning, the scanner just quits on me.

• Queens Public Library.
• Bayside Public Library.
• Flushing Public Library.
• Fresh Meadows Public Library.
• Windsor Public Library!

-Flash Drives-

Here are several links for flash drives at Adorama and B&H for your earliest convenience. K&M Camera is a third option for when Adorama and B&H are closed early on Fridays and closed on Saturdays (online shopping is available). Contact Adorama and B&H for upcoming holiday hours for any upcoming Jewish holidays. K&M Camera is open on Saturdays and it’s a great way to go shopping for specific photography items such as 35mm film or any other item you need if you need a specific item that same day. If you ask me, these flash drives are worth the investment for yourself and your children. It’s a headache when you’ve misplaced your flash drive and the option is yours to purchase any of these flash drives. If you’re a photographer or a graphic designer then I would highly suggest the Kingston 128gb flash drive.

1. Kingston Technology DataTraveler SE9 G2 32GB Lightweight USB 3.0 Flash Drive for $9.99
2. Kingston 64GB DataTraveler SE9 G2 USB 3.0 for $12.49
3. Kingston 128GB DataTraveler SE9 G2 USB 3.0 for $25.99

Best of luck to those who are looking to apply for public assistance either for someone you know or yourself and your family. Pass this along to anyone needing assistance with groceries and I hope the information is useful. Be safe out there and be healthy. Don’t let the news media scare you because that’s what they do best!

Blessed be,

Jennifer

*Caution: At the time of this blog, there will be items at Adorama or B&H that will no longer be sold at these location in the future. For flash drives, best to have a flash drive to have on your key chain to prevent from misplacing/or losing flash drive.

A Foolproof Guide to Vegan or Not to Vegan

“I think that veganism is totally great choice with incredible benefits, but I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect other people to be vegan. You can proselytize all you want, but being vegan is a pretty intense choice for a lot of people.” ~ Adam Conover

Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! Vegan or not to vegan, that is the question! In the last three years or so since I've made several dishes from 'Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker' by Robin Robertson and '125 Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes' by Judith Finlayson. Yet, my favorite recipe(s) to date are Spicy Black Beans and Rice with Mangoes from Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker and Rigatoni and Cheese from '125 Vegetarian Slow Cooker' At the end of the day, going vegetarian or vegan doesn't sound very appetizing to most people because people have this general idea that you're going to still feel hungry once when you've eaten a vegan/vegetarian meal and I'm certain that it's not true but don't be fooled because never judge a book by its cover (or knock the idea of vegan/vegetarian food) by assuming that you'd still "feel" hungry. However, go around asking friends or family if they're a vegan or vegetarian and ask them on several different occasions to prepare you some vegan meals. Yes, I realize there are people who are skeptical when it comes to eating vegan and the idea of going vegan sounds much healthier than eating meats. If I ever go vegan, I am going to miss eating ice cream or unless if vegan ice cream exist and if no vegan ice-cream exists then I'm sure I could survive life without any dairy based product such as ice cream or yogurt or being able to eat cereal or anything with dairy for that matter! I want to eat junk food without much guilt on what type of junk food I put into my body and come to think of it, I should try the vegan cheesecake. But however, my personal reason on why I would go vegan are for health reasons and no, I do not have diabetes or heart disease or anything of that nature (thank you very much for asking) but I want to feel healthier than I already am! That's my personal decision on why I would go vegan.

If you're planning on checking out vegetarian restaurants in the New York City area, check out Maoz Vegetarian (I've been to Maoz on 7th Avenue and another location on Union Square East) and their Vegan Rice Pudding is awesome (if you're a Rice Pudding fan)! Their orange juice is totally fresh and their soups aren't bad either. I've had Maoz's Hummus, Egg & Eggplant (sandwich) on whole wheat pita and it's pretty filling! I have also tried their Split Pea soup and carrot soup, not bad. My next vegan dish I plan on trying is Vegan Shawarma from Maoz Vegetarian and I'm going to search for vegan/vegetarian restaurants here in New York. It's going to be a challenge to search for any vegan/vegetarian restaurants here in the New York City area and I know of a vegetarian restaurant in the Jamaica section of Queens on 164th Street right off Hillside Avenue. I plan on trying Annam Brahma Restaurant when time permits. There is always Google search and I'm sure there'll be plenty of vegan restaurants here in Queens and Manhattan. I'm a semi-vegetarian, meaning, I still eat meat but not all meats (I'll still eat chicken and some fish if it's in a form of sushi) and I'll still have ice cream, milk or yogurt. The only exception that I'll make when it comes to pork are Roast Pork buns from TaiPan Bakery and Chinese styled spare ribs! I consider myself more of a Pollotarian, meaning that I'm a "semi-vegetarian" but I'll eat certain meats and more information is on Vegetarian Nation on the different types of vegetarian diets out there.

“I’ve never followed a vegan or vegetarian diet in the past, but I think I could do it. It would not be easy. I have worked with nutritionists who have said a vegan diet is not necessarily all positive for your health, because you need nutrients you only find in meats. I believe in a balanced diet.” ~ Joel Robuchon

I was scrolling down on my Facebook page and came across a post from z100 on 24 Junk Foods That Are Accidentally Vegan, many of them I was very surprised because I've never thought of any of them being "Vegan" friendly. One item that got me very surprised was Red Bull because I drink Red Bull and I'm a Red Bull fiend but I honestly do need to lay off on energy drinks in general or I would end up with diabetes if I am not careful. I'm not sure if this is relatable to the topic/subject of Vegan or Not to Vegan! In some weird way, I suppose this is somewhat relatable to the subject mater of vegan or being in your own bubble of where you're a semi vegetarian or vegan but then still consume [certain] meats and dairy products. Anyway, some of the items listed in the "vegan" list I'm a fan of, such as the Oreos and once in the blue, the Swedish Fish and the Sour Patch [candies]. Yet, I would have never second guessed that these 2 junk foods are accidentally vegan and nor would it have crossed my mind at all! Yet, who knew that your favorite guilty pleasure for these junk foods are vegan friendly!

“It takes a little work to be a vegan, but now it’s really possible to have tasty stuff and it’s better for you. I say the best test is to go as far as you can and see how you feel. Personally, I feel great.” ~ Grace Slick

I have been hearing about raw vegan meals and I honestly don't know much about raw vegan but I would be willing to try The Fully Challenge and The 21 Day Vegan Cleanse Challenge. In contrast, I haven't read many articles on the risks of doing the whole raw vegan diet and I've found one article on Reality Check: 5 Risks of Raw Vegan Diet. I haven't found many vegan cookbooks or even cookbooks on raw vegan at the public libraries. One of the few vegan cookbooks I've seen at the library was '1,000 Vegan Recipes' by Robin Robertson and it's one of the few books I plan on borrowing from the library in the near future. Another book I've seen at Barnes and Noble was 'PETA's Vegan College Cookbook' by PETA. I've seen cookbooks on raw vegan and as of now, I wish I could "swear" by raw vegan but I can't because I honestly haven't tried raw vegan meals. Once when I've read up on raw vegan and have more of an understanding what raw vegan is then I'll give it a try for about a month or so. I'm not afraid to try raw vegan (meaning, would I be able to find raw vegan friendly restaurants when I'm not home, for example, vacation, out on a date, out with friends, etc.)? I'm concerned that if I were to go on dates and there aren't many vegan friendly restaurants out there but I suppose you'd have to know where to go. Where can I go for more information on raw vegan other than Google?

Warm blessings,

Jennifer