How do things like race, gender, motherhood, marital status, or other identities play a role in the oppression people face when getting public assistance?

1. In Ch. 3, de Souza argues that poverty is complicated by (and causes/is caused by) both mental and physical health problems. How does “poverty make you sick?” What are some of the health disparities and challenges that people face, and how do these cause or exacerbate (make worse) poverty and food insecurity? 2. On p. 77, de Souza says, “Requests for special food items highlight the fact that food is more than nutrition; it is about culture, emotion, and social well-being. Food comes first—the central idea behind the ‘food first’ principal that progressive food policy is built upon. Without food, life deviates from the norm. The absence of food changes the way in which we live and our very being in the world. Food is an expression of family, love, care, and identity. Chum stocks salad dressing, cake mixes for special occasions, condiments, spices, salt, sugar and flour, and taco shells and fixings in the back. It is in these ‘extra items’ that the complex personhoods of individuals are most illuminated?” 2A) What does this quote mean to you? 2B) Consider the reading and your own experiences: How can providing people with certain food or providing food in certain ways make people feel “more like human beings?” And what are some ways that organizations provide food that are dehumanizing—make them feel less like human beings? Explain. 3. In Ch. 6, de Souza argues that our discourses about welfare have been created over history and perpetuate deep-seated negative ideas about people who use food shelves, SNAP benefits, or other food assistance. 3A) Explain the stigma and suspicion that people who get food assistance face. What assumptions do people make about these individuals? 3B) How do things like race, gender, motherhood, marital status, or other identities play a role in the oppression people face when getting public assistance? 4. What is one specific story shared by people who are visitors to Chum or Ruby’s Pantry that you found important, meaningful, or that “stuck” with you? Explain the specific story and why you found it meaningful (be detailed in your response here). 5. In both chapters, de Souza emphasizes that people experiencing food insecurity are rarely asked to find solutions to what is “their” problem. What, does she argue, is wrong with this? Why is this part of the reason that our society keeps failing to find adequate solutions to food insecurity and hunger? In other words, what are some of the policy recommendations that de Souza has as the result of listening to people who are food insecure?I’m