What Do Food Stamps and Old-School Video Games Have in Common?

Remember the Oregon Trail video game? All pixels and neon green, you had to get your pioneer wagon train from Missouri to Oregon without losing your oxen in the river, getting killed by Indians, or dying from cholera or starvation, all in the name of learning. I loved it. Girls of the '80s or early '90s, you know what I'm talking about!

In Portland, where I live, it's some sort of absurd joke that food stamps are dispensed on an Oregon Trail card. All I can think about is running out of flour or hunting for squirrels on the plains, and when the reality is that you're struggling to afford grocery shopping, you don't want to think about all the dearly departed avatars from your youth that succumbed to starvation.

Lately everyone and their mother, brother and third cousin has been suggesting I look into food stamps. Really? Yeah, my mom had sent me money for groceries for the first time since college, and sometimes I eat pretzels and hummus for dinner (surprisingly yummy, actually!). But I feel like I'd be taking benefits away from people who need it more than me.

Well, for the purposes of blog research, I headed to the Oregon Department of Human Services' "Food, Cash, Housing" page, where I ran smack into a rebuttal to my argument: "People do not need to be destitute to qualify for food stamps." Fair enough – and thanks for relieving some of my guilt! Okay then, how much so I qualify for? Using the site's estimator and my income from unemployment, drum roll, please.... my income is over the threshold to receive benefits. Ah ha. No Oregon Trail for me. I'll just have to play the video game to satisfy my appetite instead!

Are you receiving benefits? How have they helped you during tough times? What's your favorite memory of Oregon Trail? Come on, geek out with me!