https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/08/amazon-walmart-and-a-coronavirus-low-income-grocery-shopping-divide.html

SNAP food stamp restrictions mean that food shortages affect those already struggling harder, and food stamp recipients cannot buy groceries online, which is the only way those who are chronically ill and elderly are recommended to do to reduce exposure. 700,000 to 1.3 million are estimated to lose food stamp access with Trump administration reductions, further endangering food security. This article details that which we already know, but can now fully see, that poor people are hit harder by everything that happens in times of crisis. This is a systemic issue that stems from poor protections in place for those who require assistance, especially as they lack political power without financial means to bankroll it. 50% of the people on SNAP are children, and the requirement of working 20 hours a week to qualify is unmanageable with layoffs and furloughs that will extend for the next few months, disqualifying those need it to counterbalance increased childcare costs with kids home, and rent/mortgage payments without an income. Some pilot programs in a few states through Amazon and Walmart are allowing curbside pickup for SNAP recipients, but this does not extend to the majority of the people on it. This article is depressing but also reveals what must be done. The working hours requirement must be dropped, as this pandemic has destroyed the ability for most to work outside of essential businesses. Technology must be distributed/funded for grocery stores in states that qualify to identify SNAP recipients online, increasing access and use of the online ordering in states where it is applicable. Most importantly, people who receive SNAP, those at <130% of the poverty line, must be advocated for and elevated to speak on what they need going forward, not just in times of crisis but to secure benefits going forward.