Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg / via Getty Images

When Kevin Curry graduated from Harvard Business School during the global recession in 2008, he couldn't find work. So he went to sign up for SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to make ends meet.

"I was embarrassed," he says. "But the caseworker looked at my Harvard fleece and said, 'Don't be ashamed. This is a bridge from where you are to where you're going."

Her comment changed his entire perspective on food assistance, he says. "People need help, and it doesn't look like one type of person. SNAP is a resource for all of us."

Kathy Tran /

Today, Curry is the founder of Fit Men Cook , a fitness and food community that offers meal prepping tips and healthy, budget-friendly recipes. Since the government shutdown

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