Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Members of AFGE and the Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council gave away 100 children’s Halloween costumes on Tuesday at an event hosted by the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 479 in Atlanta.

The Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council has been holding food drives, supporting striking workers and distributing Kroger gift cards.

“So those who can’t make it here, we’ll be headed to day care after that,” said Program Coordinator Marie Thompson. “We’ll meet them where they are. Even if that means going to their jobs. You know the others who are still working or maybe not getting paid, and things like that, we’ll still pull up and drop a costume.”

“I mean, costumes can be anywhere from $20 to $30,” said Aaron Barker, president of AFGE Local 554. “So if they’re able to save that money and maybe buy food or pay rent or whatever the case may be—whatever their necessities are, they don’t have to spend that and they can get these costumes.”

When people talk about SNAP benefits, commonly known as food stamps, conversations too often devolve into stereotypes. The recipients are “lazy,” they should “get a job,” and with a “proper work ethic,” no one would need help putting food on the table.

Well, I am a professional opera singer who has performed on the Metropolitan Opera stage nearly 1,500 times. I’m also the president of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), the union of professional singers, dancers and staging staff across the country. Not the kind of person who would be labeled with those stereotypes, right?

And yet, none of my successes would have been possible without SNAP benefits.

Fifteen years ago, my wife and I were living in a tiny studio apartment in Chicago. We were recent graduates, chasing our dreams of careers in the performing arts and piecing together freelance gigs, anything that paid. We hustled constantly, but the math didn’t work. On top of everyday life expenses like transportation, rent and groceries, the industry's expenses—like music lessons, coaching and scores—also came out of our pockets. We were working constantly but falling behind.

So, I applied for and received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. That support allowed us to continue eating healthy food and to stay financially afloat while we worked toward establishing our careers. It gave us something invaluable, too…time. Time to build sustainable lives in the arts rather than abandon them for something else.

Today, my wife is a successful cruise director and performer. I built a career as a professional singer and now serve as AGMA’s president, advocating for thousands of performing artists nationwide.

SNAP helped us survive. And we are far from unique. Nearly half of the 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP are working—often in jobs that simply don’t pay enough to live. Of those who aren’t working, most are disabled, over 65 or caring for others. More than a million are veterans. These are not freeloaders. They are our neighbors, our co-workers our fellow citizens.

Yet the stigma remains. Even now, 15 years later, I still feel traces of the shame society taught me to feel. I remember standing in a grocery store line, trying to shield my SNAP card from the people behind me. Struggling to get by is hard enough. We shouldn’t make it more difficult by shaming those who use the resources meant to help them.

I’ve come to learn that this stigma is a political tool. It allows those in power to undermine programs that millions depend on. Hunger has always been used as a weapon, an act of economic and political warfare. When people are hungry, when families are forced to choose between rent and food, they are easier to control and silence. Food insecurity is not a natural state of things; it’s a manufactured one. It’s the direct result of policy decisions that prioritize wealth over human dignity.

Right now, that is exactly what’s happening. The Trump administration’s decision to let SNAP funding lapse during the government shutdown, ignoring bipartisan calls to extend it, puts 42 million people (one in every eight people in our country) at risk of losing access to food assistance.

Whether you’ve used SNAP yourself, know someone who has, or simply believe that no one should go hungry, now is the time to speak up. Contact your representatives. Demand that food assistance be funded and protected.

There is no shame in needing help. I’m living proof that SNAP doesn’t enable dependency—it enables possibility! It allows people the dignity of survival while they build their lives. And that’s something worth fighting for.

Ned Hanlon is president of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA).

Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.

Unions Win Extension of Order Halting Trump’s Illegal Shutdown Firings: On Tuesday, a federal judge indefinitely barred the Trump administration from firing federal employees during the government shutdown while a union lawsuit challenging these terminations proceeds through the courts. AFGE and AFSCME first filed the lawsuit on Sept. 30; it has since been expanded to include workers represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees-IAM (NFFE-IAM), the National Association of Government Employees/SEIU (NAGE/SEIU), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). Every Cabinet department and 24 independent agencies are included in the complaint. “President Trump is using the government shutdown as a pretense to illegally fire thousands of federal workers — specifically those employees carrying out programs and policies that the administration finds objectionable. We thank the court for keeping in place its order preventing the administration from firing workers due to the shutdown while we continue our litigation in court,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley in a press release. “Today’s ruling is another victory for federal workers and our ongoing efforts to protect their jobs from an administration hellbent on illegally firing them,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “Unlike the billionaires in this administration, public service workers dedicate themselves to serving their communities. These attempted mass firings would devastate both the workers and the people they serve.”

AFM Reaches Tentative Agreement with Broadway League, Averting Strike: Powered by an overwhelmingly supportive strike authorization vote, American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 802 announced in the early hours of Thursday that its members have successfully secured a tentative agreement with the Broadway League. Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) members on Broadway won their new agreement last week, meaning all eyes were on the musicians who bring Broadway performances to life. AFM members have been without a contract since August and were prepared for a walkout if a deal wasn’t reached by Thursday morning. “United in solidarity, Local 802 Broadway musicians are thrilled to announce that we reached a tentative agreement at 4:30 am with the Broadway League that will avert a strike scheduled to begin later today,” AFM Local 802 President Bob Suttmann said in a press statement. “This three-year agreement provides meaningful wage and health benefit increases that will preserve crucial access to healthcare for our musicians while maintaining the strong contract protections that empower musicians to build a steady career on Broadway.”

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Sundance Institute Workers Join CWA: Just a few months before the 2026 Sundance Film Festival is set to begin, workers at the Sundance Institute have successfully secured voluntary recognition from management as members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9003. Staff delivered a petition to leadership this week and are now preparing to negotiate their first contract. Members of the Sundance Institute Workers United are eager to settle a deal that addresses concerns around staffing, wages and benefits. “We are the staff of the Sundance Institute that are on the ground and working face-to-face with our audiences and artists,” said Sara Kenrick, who works in event operations, in a CWA press release. “We are the most valuable voices to this organization's purpose, and we have slowly but surely been pushed aside. We are understaffed and underpaid, and our concerns have been overlooked. If Sundance wants to continue being Sundance, they need to welcome us back to the table.”

AV Technicians at Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino Join IATSE: Audiovisual (AV) technicians at Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas formed a union with Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 720 this year and have now ratified their first collective bargaining agreement. The crew work throughout the hotel, casino and sportsbook areas on the property, which is owned by Caesars Entertainment. The agreement includes major wins like immediate wage increases of more than 6.5%, an improved health care plan and more. “Planet Hollywood was the only Caesars Entertainment property on the Las Vegas Strip without an IATSE contract, so getting this agreement cements our partnership with Caesars as a union employer,” added Apple Thorne, IATSE international vice president and Local 720 business representative. “Having the union represent me and my department takes the weight off my shoulders. I’m looking forward to working shows again with bands and assisting on big productions throughout the city and maybe the world,” said Yuvani Santamaria, Planet Hollywood AV technician lead.

Health Care Workers in West Virginia Stand Together for a Better Contract: Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 who work at Montgomery Rehab and Nursing in Montgomery, West Virginia, ratified a new contract. Key provisions of the three-year contract include the largest across-the-board pay increases for certified nursing assistants of any contract ever at the facility; longevity raises in years five, 10 and 20; the preservation of health benefits with minimal premium increases in the second and third years of the agreement, and preservation of vacation accrual for all current employees. “I want to congratulate our Montgomery Rehab and Nursing members on standing strong in solidarity and winning themselves a collective bargaining agreement that raises their living standards and protects their health benefits,” said UFCW Local 400 President Mark P. Federici. “These gains were hard-earned and a direct result of their unity.”

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RWDSU Members Ratify New Canteen Contract with 100% Support: Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) Local 513 members who work at Canteen in Wilmington, Massachusetts, unanimously ratified a new five-year contract, securing strong gains and continued stability for all workers. Under the new contract, RWDSU members will receive a 4% wage increase for each of the first three years, followed by a 3.5% increase in the final two years. Other details of the contract include an increase in the cell phone allowance to $30 per month, a $500 signing bonus, and no changes to other benefits and vacation provisions. “This contract is a clear win for our members,” said Tina Buonaugurio, RWDSU New England Joint Board President and national recorder. “It provides meaningful wage increases, preserves benefits, and shows the power of solidarity when workers stand together.”

Tags: Organizing