Since the 1970s, people on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), have not been able to purchase hot, prepared foods—only those they can cook at home. So, if you stopped by your local grocery store’s deli counter, you could have the cold mashed potatoes in the refrigerated section, not the warm ones next to the chicken.

The idea behind the ban is that lawmakers want to provide grocery assistance and not restaurant assistance. It’s believed that when you buy hot food, the government wastes money on preparation fees. While a strict cost-saving measure on the surface, it overlooks that 79% of SNAP households include someone who is elderly, has children, or is disabled, which can make meal preparation challenging.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Senate recently warmed to the idea of allowing people receiving SNAP benefits to purchase the grocery-store staple: hot, prepared rotisserie chicken. These typically retail for $5 to $9, making them a great deal and a healthy, lean protein source. So, in this case, the hot, prepared chicken is a better deal for everyone involved.

Behold, the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act

In April, a bipartisan group of Senators including Jim Justice (R-W.V.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) introduced the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act to amend the 2008 Food and Nutrition Act by allowing a carve-out for the food.

It’s plain common sense: a hot rotisserie chicken is a healthy, easy meal for busy families. Folks on SNAP should be able to grab one on the go.That’s why @SenFettermanPA, @SenCapito, @SenatorBennet, and I introduced the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act. 🐓— Senator Jim Justice (@JimJustice_WV) April 22, 2026

It’s plain common sense: a hot rotisserie chicken is a healthy, easy meal for busy families. Folks on SNAP should be able to grab one on the go.That’s why @SenFettermanPA, @SenCapito, @SenatorBennet, and I introduced the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act. 🐓— Senator Jim Justice (@JimJustice_WV) April 22, 2026

“America’s best (and delicious) affordability play is Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken,” Fetterman said in the statement. “It’s one of my family’s favorites and I’m proud to join this bill with Senator Justice for all to try. SNAP funds would be well spent to feed our nation’s families who need it.”

On April 30, a similar amendment to the act was added to the broader Farm Bill with dramatic bipartisan support. The measure cleared the House with a 384 to 35 vote. It seems that with all the partisan bickering in America, we can all agree that everyone deserves hot rotisserie chicken.

SNAP to include HOT ROTISSERIE CHICKEN.384-35! Doesn’t only include my crew’s favorite affordable $4.99 Costco rotisserie 😜 — but ANY hot rotisserie.Feeding families: a (rotisserie) chicken in every pot. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/N9bNfynRKx— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) April 30, 2026

SNAP to include HOT ROTISSERIE CHICKEN.384-35! Doesn’t only include my crew’s favorite affordable $4.99 Costco rotisserie 😜 — but ANY hot rotisserie.Feeding families: a (rotisserie) chicken in every pot. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/N9bNfynRKx— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) April 30, 2026

However, the $390 Farm Bill package wasn’t greeted with such bipartisan enthusiasm. It passed on a partisan vote in the House of Representatives, 224-200, with only 14 Democrats in support, as it locked in a $187 billion cut to SNAP benefits through 2034.

After the passing of the Big Beautiful Bill last year, four million people lost some or all of their SNAP benefits, including: able-bodied adults without dependents who don’t work or volunteer at least 80 hours a month, refugees, those on political asylum, veterans, unhoused people, and former foster youth. 

Why are rotisserie chickens so cheap?

Usually, prepared food is more expensive than buying it uncooked. However, there are multiple reasons why buying a whole rotisserie chicken at your local grocery store or Costco is more affordable. 

At Costco, the chickens are a loss-leader, meaning if the $5 chicken gets you in the door, you’ll probably cruise through the store and spend $400 on frozen fish, a 40-lb bag of dog food, 48 rolls of toilet paper, and an oversized holiday lawn decoration. In some grocery stores, rotisserie chickens are offered at a great price because they are butcher leftovers that may soon expire. Instead of throwing out the unsold raw chickens, they roast them and sell them at a discount.

A single door can open up a world of endless possibilities. For homeowners, the front door of their house is a  gateway to financial stability, job security, and better health. Yet for many, that door remains closed. Due to the rising costs of housing, 1 in 3 people around the world wake up without the security of safe, affordable housing. 

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has made it their mission to unlock and open the door to opportunity for families everywhere, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. Through their work over the past 50 years, more than 65 million people have gained access to new or improved housing, and the movement continues to gain momentum. Since 2011 alone, Habitat for Humanity has expanded access to affordable housing by a hundredfold. 

A world where everyone has access to a decent home is becoming a reality, but there’s still much to do. As they celebrate 50 years of building, Habitat for Humanity is inviting people of all backgrounds and talents to be part of what comes next through Let’s Open the Door, a global campaign that builds on this momentum and encourages people everywhere to help expand access to safe, affordable housing for those who need it most. Here’s how the foundation to a better world starts with housing, and how everyone can pitch in to make it happen. 

Globally, almost 3 billion people, including 1 in 6 U.S. families, struggle with high costs and other challenges related to housing. A crisis in itself, this also creates larger problems that affect families and communities in unexpected ways. People who lack affordable, stable housing are also more likely to experience financial hardship in other areas of their lives, since a larger share of their income often goes toward rent, utilities, and frequent moves. They are also more likely to experience health problems due to chronic stress or environmental factors, such as mold. Housing insecurity also goes hand-in-hand with unstable employment, since people may need to move further from their jobs or switch jobs altogether to offset the cost of housing. 

Affordable homeownership creates a stable foundation for families to thrive, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood for good health and stable employment. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs homes with individual families, but it also strengthens entire communities as well. The MicroBuild® Initiative, for example, strengthens communities by increasing access to  loans for low-income families seeking to build or repair their homes. Habitat ReStore locations provide affordable appliances and building materials to local communities, in addition to creating job and volunteer opportunities that support neighborhood growth. 

Everyone can play a part in the fight for housing equity and the pursuit of a better world. Over the past 50 years, Habitat for Humanity has become a leader in global housing thanks to an engaged network of volunteers—but you don’t need to be skilled with a hammer to make a meaningful impact. Building an equitable future means calling on a wide range of people and talents.Here’s how you can get involved in the global housing movement:

Speaking up on social media about the growing housing crisis 

Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in your local community

Travel and build with Habitat in the U.S. or  in one of 60   countries where we work around the globe

Join the Let’s Open the Door movement and, when you donate, you can create your own personalized door 

Shop or donate at your local Habitat ReStore

Every action, big and small, drives a global movement toward a better future. A safe home unlocks opportunity for families and communities alike, but it’s volunteers and other supporters, working together with a shared vision, who can open the door for everyone. 

Visit habitat.org/open-door to learn more and get involved today. 

When we think back to what we might deem the best of times, at least in terms of age, the answers are multilayered and, of course, subjective. For some, it’s age five, when even the smallest dandelion seemed whimsical. For others, it’s freshman year of college, when we perhaps felt truly autonomous and ready for reinvention.

At the Carrington Court Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in Utah, elderly residents were asked the simple question: “What was your favorite age of life?” While The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” underscores the video, a handful of people give their unique answers. Many of them are downright surprising.

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In one clip shared on Instagram, we see senior citizens tackling the question. The caption reads, “You can still hit milestones at 93!” The first woman in the clip answers quickly. “25,” she says. She’s asked why, and she laughs while explaining, “My dad had bought me a new convertible car for my birthday. And I just drove it and drove it and drove it!”

We cut to the next resident, who answers, “About 63. Not too long ago, because I was looking forward to retiring.”

The next woman has a harder time making a choice. “I have so many,” she shares, “because my children have been very busy in their life and I’ve been busy in mine, and enjoyed what we were doing.”

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A man is asked, and he doesn’t have to think about it long. “Last year!” This is followed by the obvious question: “Last year? How old were you?” He vulnerably shares, “Oh my goodness. I don’t remember.” But when his memory is prompted, he remembers he’s now 94. He continues, “Last year. Because I had no interest in life until this wonderful woman here brought it back to me.” The camera then pans over to the woman who had answered 63. She chuckles lovingly while absorbing the compliment.

Another man who is asked the same question says, “My favorite year of life would have to be probably when I was 17 or 18, because I was able to win a contest on a project I had made on my own lathe or a project on my dad’s lathe. And it took first place.”

Other videos shared on their social media pages show residents being asked the same question, with various answers: “Hopscotch, true love, babies, childhood farms.” Whatever it was for each, it was tied to moments embedded in their memories that brought them pure bliss.

The comment section seems moved by their answers, with plenty of opinions of their own. Some share how they would have answered: “I’m gonna vote 63, although I’m not there yet.”

This person can’t decide: “Who can pick just one… first true loves, seeing bands and just livin’… then the kids come along, and is anything better? Then they’re gone, but you’ve got money and time, and still can party and have fun… and I’m supposed to pick one, no can do.”

A few offer success stories from people in their lives: “My widowed aunt got remarried at 94. She’s now 99.”

Another had a similar experience with a family member: “My Mom met the love of her life at 80 in her Assisted Living home. They loved life together for the rest of their lives.”

The truth is that well-being researchers have studied the topic of happiness for quite some time. The consensus, at least for a handful of people, seems to be that we’re happiest in our twenties, take a big dip in middle age, and rediscover happiness again in older age.

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This is known as the U-shaped happiness curve. While some dispute its accuracy and are quick to point out biases (as is often the case with studies), many take solace in the idea that there is always hope. And instead of thinking of “40” as “over the hill,” as it used to be so popular to claim, the idea that it’s actually uphill after—or at least could be—is promising.

Even just from the tiny sample received from the........

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