As millions of people around the country continue to wait to see if their SNAP benefits will get restored this month, Hammond firefighters offered up some ideas to help stretch those benefits further.
Hammond Firefighters Local #556 posted on their social media page a week of recipes families can make for $15 or less. If stuffed shells that “make a weeknight feel like a date night,” pierogis that fit in your hand and a $10 stir fry named for Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, then they have you covered.
The idea wasn’t something they themselves came up with, but the need to help was something they weren’t going to ignore, Local #556 President Mike Hull said. Besides, having to feed all the firemen two meals a day every day on every shift, they’ve had to learn to sharpen their budgeting skills.
“We all pitch in every day to buy groceries, take care of the cable and Internet, and our budget dictates what we can do,” Hull said. “We have Pasta Day on Wednesdays because it’s cheap and filling, and then it gives us room to splurge on other days.”
“It definitely teaches budgeting,” added former Station #8 cook Captain Bob Leckrone.
Firefighter Phil Espinoza has been Station #8’s cook for about a year, and so far, he loves doing it. And his firefighter brothers love what he makes; for example, Engineer Joe Bakker had never had chorizo and eggs before Espinoza took the reins.
“It’s all about staples you have in the house; you just need to buy them,” Espinoza said.
The guys are hoping other firefighters will get into the game and start posting recipes to help out, Hammond Fire Chief Bernie Grisolia said. After all, a lot of people are stressed right now.
“I’m so proud of these guys. They want to help,” he said.
Hammind Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. commended the department for the effort.
“I want to commend the Hammond Firefighters for taking the time to inform the public on how they prepare tasty, budget-friendly meals,” McDermott said. “Like most Hoosier families, our firefighters are also dealing with the challenges of inflation and tariffs and the strain they place on household budgets.
“It’s great to see our Hammond Firefighters giving back to the community in such a creative and practical way. Their efforts remind us that public service extends beyond the firehouse — it’s about caring for the community in every sense.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s administration is demanding states “undo” full SNAP benefits paid out under judges’ orders last week, now that the U.S. Supreme Court has stayed those rulings, marking the latest swing in a seesawing legal battle over the anti-hunger program used by 42 million Americans.
The demand from the U.S. Department of Agriculture came as more than two dozen states warned of “catastrophic operational disruptions” if the Trump administration does not reimburse them for those SNAP benefits they authorized before the Supreme Court’s stay.
Nonprofits and Democratic attorneys general sued to force the Trump administration to maintain the program in November. They won the favorable rulings last week, leading to the swift release of benefits to millions in several states.
But, even before it won a stay on those rulings through an appeal to the Supreme Court on Friday night, the Trump administration balked at reimbursing states for the initial round of SNAP payments. Wisconsin, for example, loaded benefits onto cards for 700,000 residents, but after the U.S. Treasury froze its reimbursements to the state, it anticipates running out of money by Monday, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration warned in a lengthy statement on Sunday.
To access the recipes, visit Hammond Firefighters Local #556 Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064418720839.
The Associated Press contributed.
