As of June 2025, there were 1.5 million people in Michigan receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or what used to be called food stamps. That came at a cost of $258.5 million just in May and just in Michigan. I was in a Walmart and got my first introduction to how the real scams work. A woman approached while I was in a checkout line. She offered me her Bridge card to pay for my groceries. I had a full cart. For a moment, I was touched, a complete stranger, 20 years younger offering to pay for my groceries. I thanked her but said I was good. But I was later told how naive I was. I had a cart full of groceries that cost $150. If I used that woman’s Bridge card to pay for the full $150, I then am expected to give her back $75. She gets $75 in cash she can spend on anything she wants, and I get 50% off my grocery bill. It’s a win-win, except it’s illegal. It robs children of meal money and is also virtually impossible to prevent because both parties are willing conspirators. Now, all the person has to do with self-checkout lanes is give the person their Bridge card and PIN number, and it can all be done without anyone ever noticing, at least until their kid shows up at school hungry because their parent spent the money earmarked for food on something else. There’s no reason for a child to be hungry in this country.