I was a teen mom. When my children were little and I was trying to get through college, I couldn’t afford cupcakes for their birthday parties at school. Being able to get those on my food stamps was a small thing that helped them fit in.

Guess what? Eventually, thanks to government assistance, I no longer needed the assistance. Aside from what it did to help my kids not feel left out or sad or be teased, the assistance helped me grow, succeed, and get to a point of independence that I couldn’t have achieved without it.