Objections to the Food Stamp Challenge: Part One

Not everyone agrees that the food stamp challenge is a good idea. Objections come from both sides of the political spectrum. This started out as a single post but quickly grew too long, so I'm breaking it into two parts. Here's the first.

Right-Wing Objections

A few weeks ago, when I was first considering the food stamp challenge, I came across this article from a clearly conservative-leaning source.

The article contains some interesting points, regardless of one’s political leaning: First, the challenge is a gimmick, not a realistic scenario. The writer notes that food stamp benefits were never intended to be the sole source of food for the week. Instead, as the name (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) implies, they were meant to be supplemental benefits, with food banks, free school lunches, and other programs making up the difference. The writer argues against “making martyrs out of” those who rely only on these benefits. 

Second, the writer suggests that by taking the challenge we are lauding those who use food stamps whereas we should be “applauding . . . those who work their way off them.” I would argue that “applauding” is the wrong word—I don’t think most people taking the challenge are doing it to praise those who live on the food stamp budget.

But I find the second point worth considering further, albeit from a liberal point of view: Should we be focusing on programs that help people work their way out of poverty rather than those that simply provide food benefits? (It’s the old “give someone a fish” versus “teach someone to fish” question.) Rather than donating to a food-related organization during this challenge, should the money we save go elsewhere? And would it make more sense to attempt for a week to live on minimum wage and/or find a job without relying on my existing qualifications, education, and connections? 

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As I wrote that last question in a draft of this post, the book Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich (2001), in which the author recounts her attempts to live on minimum wage for a month in each of three US cities, came to mind. At that point, I stopped writing and reserved the book at the library. I’ve been reading it over the past week or so while preparing for and taking the challenge.

Although the author writes about much more than food, here's one sentence I keep thinking of while I'm cooking this week: "I [can't] see any expenses to cut. True, I haven't gone the lentil stew route yet, but that's because I don't have a large cooking pot, potholders, or a ladle to stir with" (p. 28).