A few years ago, I attended AIC in either the Dayton, Ohio area or the Millersburg, Ohio area (can't remember which), and someone promoting Blessings of Hope was there. I was unaware it was associated with the Lapp Brothers at that time. It purported to be doing a very valuable ministry to distribute food to those in need that we should all definitely supporting. Some statistics were presented about how many people in Ohio and Kentucky are having to go without food due to poverty.
I found this a bit puzzling, since Ohio (and KY) have quite generous food stamp programmes funded by the federal government's SNAP, a network of well-stocked food banks, plus the federally-funded WIC programme. (I myself may have been a beneficiary of all three, or at least I should say my family has been.)
I had a visit with the fellow promoting this and mentioned that the SNAP program should provide enough for any person in need in Ohio to be able to meet their nutritional needs. Then he just went on a rant about how bad food stamps are, how people just don't want to work, and that the tax money to pay for it is basically being stolen from us and that's why programs like Blessings of Hope don't have enough money because people who could donate to that have to pay big tax bills instead.
I did my best to listen, not sure it would be the best move to disclose I use SNAP myself, but against my better judgment I decided to just toss some gasoline on the fire anyway. I mentioned that Ohio's SNAP does have a work requirement - you have to work a modest amount (80 hours a month, I think), or volunteer or attend job training if you can't find a job. He didn't think that was good enough and insisted that people are just ripping off the system.
I countered that it seems odd that food stamps are so widely available that people can use them to not work whilst simultaneously people in Ohio are so impoverished they can't afford food. Then I mentioned that I'm a recipient of SNAP myself, although I do work fulltime (sometimes with an excessive amount of hours, I might add); that I respect the position of plain churches who have a stance against members taking food stamps, but that I think that the rest of the church should volunteer to fill in the gap for poorer families who would otherwise be eligible.
That was kind of the end of the conversation, but I must say it turned me off to Blessings of Hope just a little bit.