From Grok
Let’s dive into exploring food assistance programs that might allow immigrants to use a barcode on their phone to access groceries without the need for scanning individual items at checkout, as observed in Naomi Wolf’s X post.
1. Understanding the Context of Food Assistance for Immigrants in NYC
New York City has a large immigrant population, including many from Central America, and a robust network of food assistance programs. Immigrants, especially recent arrivals, often face barriers to accessing traditional programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) due to eligibility restrictions, language barriers, or documentation requirements.
As a result, local governments, nonprofits, and community organizations often create alternative programs to fill these gaps, some of which may use innovative technology like mobile barcodes to streamline access.

The web results provided offer some context:
- **SNAP Eligibility for Non-Citizens (web:0)**: While SNAP typically uses EBT cards, some non-citizens are ineligible or face waiting periods (e.g., five years of residency or 40 qualifying work quarters). However, states can offer alternative nutrition programs for non-eligible non-citizens, sometimes using electronic systems like barcodes or apps.

- **Community Food Connection – ACCESS NYC (web:2)**: This resource notes that everyone in NYC, regardless of immigration status, is eligible for food assistance through pantries and community kitchens.
While this doesn’t directly mention barcodes, it highlights the city’s commitment to accessible food programs, which could extend to innovative distribution methods.

### 2. Potential Food Assistance Programs Using Barcodes
Let’s explore programs or systems that might fit the description of using a phone barcode without requiring item scanning:

A. Local Nonprofit or Community-Based Programs
Nonprofits in NYC often partner with grocery stores to provide food assistance to vulnerable populations, including immigrants. Some may use digital voucher systems to simplify the process:
- **New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) and Partners**:
The NYIC collaborates with community organizations to provide emergency food assistance to immigrants.
While they typically distribute physical vouchers or EBT-like cards, some programs have shifted to digital solutions. For example, a nonprofit might issue a digital voucher in the form of a barcode or QR code that a recipient shows at a participating store.

The store might have a pre-arranged agreement to bill the nonprofit directly for the purchases, bypassing the need to scan individual items.

- **How It Might Work**: The barcode could represent a pre-approved credit or allowance (e.g., $200 for groceries). The cashier verifies the barcode, confirms the customer’s identity or eligibility, and allows the purchase without scanning items, as the total is charged to the program’s account.

- **Relevance to Immigrants**: Many NYIC programs target undocumented or recent immigrants who are ineligible for SNAP, aligning with the Central American immigrant in Wolf’s post.
- **Food Bank for New York City**:
This organization operates programs like the Community Food Connection, which partners with local stores to provide food access.

While they typically focus on pantry distribution, they’ve experimented with mobile technology in the past, such as apps for scheduling pantry visits. A pilot program could involve a barcode system where recipients are pre-approved to shop at specific stores, and the store reconciles the purchases with the food bank later.
- **No Scanning?**: If the barcode represents a fixed credit or a pre-approved shopping list, the cashier might only need to verify the code, not scan each item, especially if the store has a bulk billing arrangement with the food bank. Pt2

B. City or State Pilot Programs for Immigrants
New York City and State have a history of piloting innovative food assistance programs, especially for migrants and undocumented individuals:
- **NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA)**:
MOIA often coordinates with local organizations to provide emergency food assistance. In response to the migrant influx in recent years (e.g., over 170,000 migrants arriving in NYC since 2022, per city data), the city has launched temporary programs to address food insecurity. One such program could involve a mobile app with a barcode system, especially after the debit card voucher program ended in November 2024 (web:1).
- **Possible Mechanism**: The city might contract with supermarkets in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods like Brooklyn to accept a digital barcode as payment. The barcode could link to a city-funded account, allowing the recipient to shop up to a certain limit. The cashier might not need to scan items if the store uses a point-of-sale system that automatically charges the city’s account for the total, or if the program allows for manual verification.
- **Why No Receipt?**: If the transaction is processed as a bulk payment to the city or a third party, the customer might not receive a traditional receipt, as the purchase isn’t tied to a personal payment method.
- **HRA (Human Resources Administration) Emergency Food Assistance**:
NYC’s HRA oversees food programs for low-income residents, including some tailored for immigrants. While HRA typically administers SNAP, they also manage emergency food initiatives that might use alternative distribution methods. A pilot program could involve a mobile app where eligible immigrants receive a monthly barcode to use at designated stores.
- **Brooklyn Context**: In lower-income neighborhoods, stores might participate in such programs to serve the community, especially if they have a large immigrant customer base. The cashier’s familiarity with the process (and shared background with the customer) could explain the lack of formal scanning.

#### C. Store-Specific Initiatives
Some supermarkets in NYC, especially in immigrant-heavy areas, partner directly with community organizations or create their own programs to support customers:
- **Key Food, Associated Supermarkets, or Similar Chains in Brooklyn**:
These smaller chains are common in Brooklyn and often serve immigrant communities. They might have agreements with local nonprofits or city programs to accept digital barcodes for food assistance. For example, a store could allow pre-approved customers to shop using a barcode, with the store later invoicing the program for the total amount.
- **No Scanning Process**: If the barcode represents a pre-set allowance (e.g., $150 per month), the cashier might only need to verify the code and ensure the total doesn’t exceed the limit, without scanning each item. The store could track purchases internally and bill the program in bulk.
- **Cultural Connection**: The cashier and customer being from the same region might mean the cashier is familiar with the program and trusts the process, leading to a more informal interaction (e.g., waving the customer through).

#### D. Tech-Driven Food Assistance Apps
Some food assistance programs have adopted mobile technology to streamline distribution, especially for hard-to-reach populations:
- **Fresh EBT or Similar Apps**:
While Fresh EBT (now called Providers) is primarily for SNAP users to check balances, some nonprofits have developed similar apps for their own programs. A local organization in NYC might use an app to issue digital vouchers as barcodes, which recipients show at checkout.
- **How It Fits**: The app could generate a unique barcode for each shopping trip, linked to a specific store or program. The cashier verifies the barcode, and the store processes the payment through the app’s backend, potentially bypassing item scanning if the system is designed for bulk billing.

DIRECT LINK-tell them NO

Comments must be received on or before October 20, 2022!

Submit comments,
identified by Docket No. “CDC-2022-0111 and CDC”

https://twitter.com/katetalkstruth/status/1582142320119410688

@JesseKellyDC

🧵 on World food crisis - shipping decisions and the swift move to the 2030 Agenda End of Shipping for zero carbon

Short 🧵 How I think I’ll look skiing on Spring Break ⛷vs How I actually look

Spot on

https://twitter.com/JavierGoya7/status/1490065438751002636

https://twitter.com/robinenochs/status/1447582550633943044

.@JesseKellyDC have you seen this? says “this is Chinese propaganda..it’s divide & conquer…do you think this is going to go away? This is never gonna go away until we the people stop them!”

Everyone needs to be like THIS
Take action, she even gives the guy courage to help her

https://twitter.com/damnnobueno/status/1440705726947594244

https://twitter.com/robinenochs/status/1441068703794307073

@PierreKory Or @nia3in pinned protocol
This IS NOT a “wait and see” variant
Treat or (better prevent) immediately @PierreKory @nia3in Flush Niacin (B3 nicotinic acid), l-glutamine, NAC, magnesium, selenium, melatonin, Bcomplex, C, D3, butyrate, taurine, glycine, serine👇🏻

This is bombshell stuff on ivermectin! Are the FDA and CDC and Fauci criminally negligent?
.@RepThomasMassie @RandPaul

https://twitter.com/MarthaAlberts17/status/1395918907140157441

Link to article in case his tweet is deleted by twit.

mountainhomemag.com/2021/05/01/356…

Ex CIA wants to disinfranchise voters, dox supporters of our President AND keep a list. Shocking.

https://twitter.com/EvanMcMullin/status/1324511000763101184

Hey guys, they've formed a hate group and they're making lists. We always knew they were the fascists, guess they're out in the open now.

Thread on #Zinc as a viral inhibitor

https://twitter.com/RobinEnochs/status/1263851557063258114

Mechanism of HIV Reverse Transcriptase Inhibition by #Zinc ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P… NIH study is also