Imagine living with a food budget of just $1 per meal. Working poor families, people with disabilities and seniors on fixed incomes do it all the time. They rely on Food Stamps—the federal poverty program that assures that basic food needs are met for our nation’s hungry.
The Food Stamp Challenge is a simple and eye-opening exercise in attempting to live on the average national food stamp benefit of $21 per person for a week . . . just $1 per meal. I chronicled my experience in a daily blog as did my 10-year-old daughter Madeline. Additionally, you can read about the experiences of community participants who took the challenge at a community blog.
Why did we take the Food Stamp Challenge?
- To highlight the importance of the Farm Bill, the federal legislation that authorizes the Food Stamp Program and which is currently being debated in the Senate.
- To experience firsthand the impact of poverty on your food intake.
- To educate the people around you on the challenges of avoiding hunger, staying healthy and finding affordable nutritious foods with such a modest benefit.
You can do it to. Here are the rules: shop for food, spending no more than $21 per household member for the week and saving all receipts. You have to avoid accepting free food from family and friends or at work or events. Simply put, on the Food Stamp Challenge you live on the $21 allotted.
Sincerely,
Sherrie Tussler
Executive Director
(414) 777-0483