Hi all
Karin asks an important question in her post – what does the Food Stamp Challenge prove? Let me suggest a few answers, I’m sure there are other, equally valid and important ways you might respond to this question. When the board of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice considered sponsoring this Challenge, we talked about the goals we had for this project. We did not intend it to prove anything. What we hope is that this exercise will give us at least a taste (pardon the pun) of what it might be like to rely on SNAP to supplement, or in many cases to be the sole source of, your weekly food budget. In this way we hope to build awareness of issues of hunger and food insecurity, to educate participants about the benefits of the SNAP program in addressing hunger in America and the limitations of the program as it currently stands to meet all of a family’s nutritional needs. Finally, we hope to inspire participants to advocate for increased funding to raise the benefit level of the SNAP program, to reduce the stigma that may be a barrier to eligible citizens’ applying for the program; and to educate eligible citizens so that all who are eligible to receive SNAP benefits will take advantage of the program.
Karin asks an important question in her post – what does the Food Stamp Challenge prove? Let me suggest a few answers, I’m sure there are other, equally valid and important ways you might respond to this question. When the board of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice considered sponsoring this Challenge, we talked about the goals we had for this project. We did not intend it to prove anything. What we hope is that this exercise will give us at least a taste (pardon the pun) of what it might be like to rely on SNAP to supplement, or in many cases to be the sole source of, your weekly food budget. In this way we hope to build awareness of issues of hunger and food insecurity, to educate participants about the benefits of the SNAP program in addressing hunger in America and the limitations of the program as it currently stands to meet all of a family’s nutritional needs. Finally, we hope to inspire participants to advocate for increased funding to raise the benefit level of the SNAP program, to reduce the stigma that may be a barrier to eligible citizens’ applying for the program; and to educate eligible citizens so that all who are eligible to receive SNAP benefits will take advantage of the program.
I also want to mention one other thing – while SNAP is a great program that helps people feed their families and frees up money in their family budget that can go toward other necessities such as rent, medical bills, gas and car insurance, utilities, etc, it does not address the core issues of hunger and poverty that lead people to need programs like SNAP. That is why, in addition to the list of suggested direct-service organizations on our website that you might want to contribute to such as food banks and food pantries, we also list a number of national and international organizations that are not direct-service, but that work on programs and public policies that address these root problems and try to end hunger and food insecurity entirely. See the list at the bottom of our Food Stamp Challenge page –http://wisconsinfaithvoicesforjustice.org/Food-Stamp-Challenge.php
Bonnie
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And now, here's my update on Days 4 and 5:
Day 4:
- My morning snack: carrots with peanut butter.
- Dinner: chili (black and white beans, chicken, corn, a can of diced tomatoes, chili powder, and water), topped with a bit of cheese; avocado; rice; broccoli. I was afraid the chili wouldn't taste good without additional spices, but it turned out fine. (I put the chili in the Crock Pot during the work day, which not everyone would be able to do.)
Day 5:
- My morning snack: popcorn.
- Kid lunches: For one: leftover tuna pasta from Day 2, yogurt, corn, broccoli. For the other: leftover pocket from Day 1, raisins, walnuts, corn, broccoli.
- Eric's lunch: leftover chili with a bit of cheese and avocado; carrot sticks; walnuts and raisins. Hard-boiled egg for his afternoon snack.
- My lunch: part of a leftover pocket, some chicken and broccoli.
- Afternoon kid snacks: fruit cups (pineapple packed in juice). This was a big hit since I don't usually buy these, but pineapple's on the Clean Fifteen and I was lucky to find them on clearance ($1.56 for a pack of 4) when I made my return trip to Target the day before.
- Dinner: chicken pizza (including two small heart-shaped ones) made with monterey jack cheese (a bit unusual, but it was fine); carrot sticks.
Plans for Day 6 (today):
- My morning snack: banana with peanut butter.
- Kid lunches packed: leftover pizza (without chicken for one kid); peas; apple slices. I added a piece of my daughter's Valentine's Day candy received at school yesterday to her lunch.
- Eric's lunch: leftover mac and cheese, with more chicken and extra peas and corn added; apple; walnuts. Hard-boiled egg for snack.
- My lunch: chickpeas and frozen veggies with a bit of cheese and tomato sauce; maybe a grapefruit.
- Afternoon kid snack: pineapple cups again.
- Dinner: challah; black bean soup topped with a bit of cheese and chicken (for the kids I will deconstruct it and serve black beans, cheese, and chicken separately); green beans.
- No wine in the budget this week, so we'll use orange juice instead (just a bit since we're almost out of it).
- I had thought about whether to economize more for the rest of the week to include something special for Shabbat dinner (e.g., saving the chicken for tonight or making a special dessert), but since everyone in our family likes challah so much and we usually don't eat bread with dinner, that's really the special treat for Shabbat every week.
Other thoughts:
I've been especially glad for the popcorn I bought this week. I've been snacking on it a lot, and we've hardly made a dent in the 2-lb bag of kernels.
I've been thinking about whether to retake the challenge (just myself) but limit my use of cooking utensils and equipment. It would be quite a different story to eat only what I could prepare with, say, a single burner or a hot plate. No microwave, no slow cooker, no coffee maker . . . perhaps just a can opener and one pot. If I did this, what do you think the rules should be?
Karin, Rabbi Margulis write, "we hope to inspire participants to advocate for increased funding to raise the benefit level of the SNAP program." I am curious if, based on your experience, you would advocate for that.
ReplyDeleteHmm… that is a good question. I don’t think the answer is necessarily more money, but I would raise the benefits in a different way. I would want funding available to make it possible for recipients, when first applying for SNAP benefits, to receive a “starter kit” containing some very basic kitchen essentials if they do not already own them: a pot, a ladle, potholders, dish soap, a pan. The kit would also include a few VERY basic recipes (say, 3-ingredient ones) with step-by-step instructions (including photos) in both English and other languages, along with a few necessary nonperishable ingredients for those recipes so they can get started cooking right away. And if the recipients lived in a place without a working stove and refrigerator, they would be referred to programs providing funding either to improve their living situation or to provide these necessary items directly.
ReplyDeleteThere is some effort toward nutrition education already. For example, on the SNAP store locator site (http://www.snapretailerlocator.com/), there is a link to some information on basic nutrition and grocery buying (http://www.nal.usda.gov/snap/EatRightWhenMoneysTight.pdf). And I’m sure there is more education already going on in other ways too. But I think there is more room for creative programs to help recipients make the most of their existing SNAP benefits. Additionally, this type of program might be more agreeable to people across the political spectrum since it would be a “help people get out of this situation” benefit rather than just more of the same.
Food access is another important issue, and increased funding to help start grocery stores in food deserts (or provide healthier food at convenience stores) would also be a valuable benefit.