The FoodShare Challenge highlights what it is like to eat on the average FoodShare benefit—approximately $1 per meal. After paying for housing, energy and health care expenses, many low-income households have little or no money remaining to spend on food without foodshare benefits. In addition, most foodshare households report that their benefits do not last the entire month, and many are forced to turn to food pantries and soup kitchens. While living on a foodshare budget for just a week cannot come close to the struggles encountered by low-income families week after week and month after month, it does provide those who take the Challenge with a new perspective and greater understanding.

The challenge was created by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) in Washington, D.C., the nation’s most authoritative source of information about federal and state supplemental nutrition programs, including foodshare, school breakfast and lunch, the summer food service program and other programs that prevent hunger.

The FoodShare Program is important because it makes a difference in the lives of millions of Americans across the country. However, in many cases the benefits received are too low to allow families to purchase nutritious food and feed their families healthy meals on a consistent basis.

You can sign up to receive e-mail alerts from Hunger Task Force urging you to take action on this and other matters. To learn more about our agency’s policy work, call Hunger Task Force's educator at (414) 238-6470.