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Home > FRAC 2007 Farm Bill Food Stamp Reauthorization Center Current News & Analyses

 
Food Stamp Challenges

Over the past year, a number of local anti-hunger and poverty groups from Pennsylvania and Connecticut to Kansas and Nevada have sparked public awareness about the inadequacy of food stamp allotments by challenging their community leaders to try feeding themselves on those allotments for a few days, a week, or a month. In April, the Food Stamp Challenge that Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski (D) took garnered national headlines. An influential national journalism Web site suggested that reporters across the country pursue food stamp budget story lines in their own localities. In May, Members of Congress led by Representatives James McGovern (D-Mass.) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) embarked on a Food Stamp Challenge.

As more elected officials, reporters, religious leaders, and other concerned people take up the Food Stamp Challenge, FRAC will continue to track media coverage and participants blogging about their experiences. To learn more about food stamp challenges and how local groups can mount them, contact Ellen Vollinger at evollinger@frac.org.

Toolkit:
"Take the Challenge: Living on a Food Stamp Budget,"
produced by The Hatcher Group and FRAC [pdf]

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Read the blogs:

In the news:

Media from previous challenges:


A number of these efforts to date have been covered in FRAC's Federal Nutrition Programs Update and Weekly News Digest. For groups interested in reading about and fostering food stamp diet challenges, we have excerpted the coverage below.

To learn more about food stamp challenges and how local groups can mount them, contact Ellen Vollinger at evollinger@frac.org.  

 

FRAC’s Federal Nutrition Programs Update, 5/11/07:
Representatives McGovern and Emerson, NY Councilman, and VT Reporter Take the Challenge

"Washington on $3 a day? Congressman will try it,” Sun Chronicle, 5/9/07

“When U.S. Rep. James McGovern attends a banquet at the Mayflower Hotel Tuesday, he will be eating from a bag lunch while other guests are enjoying the food at one of Washington's most famous establishments.  And when he attends a reception for Sen. Hillary Clinton later in the week, he will be drinking tap water while others enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.  McGovern, D-Worcester, will be on a subsistence diet all next week as he and U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson attempt to live on $3 a day for food.  The lawmakers say they will be trying to make ends meet to demonstrate what they contend is insufficient aid poor families receive in the form of food stamps.  The minimum benefit from food stamps is $10 a month, McGovern said.  He and Emerson, R-Mo., will be living on the average benefit of $21 a week, or $3 a day.  ‘This is more than a gimmick,’ McGovern said. ‘This is an attempt to ignite a discussion or a debate.’” 

“Queens pol tries to live on 28 bucks,” by Kathleen Lucadamo, NY Daily News, 5/10/07
“No more costly cappuccinos for one Queens councilman.  Starting today, Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Queens) will live for one week on $28 for groceries - the average food stamp allotment for an individual [in New York City] - as part of a national push to increase the federal subsidies.  ‘The goal is to raise awareness about how difficult it is for so many New Yorkers to put food on their table,’ Gioia said….[A]nti-poverty advocates, politicians and clergy feed themselves for a week on the federal amount given to needy people for food. They are calling on Congress to pump about $20 billion more into the federal food stamp program over five years.  ‘We know that food stamps used to last three to four weeks.   Now they last two to three weeks and then the recipients start showing up at soup kitchens,’ said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York Coalition Against Hunger in Manhattan.” 

“Stayin’ Alive,” by Suzanne Podhaiser, Seven Days, 5/9/07
 Read what choices a Vermont reporter made based on a $66.05 food stamp allotment for a two person household with no income.

FRAC’s Federal Nutrition Programs Update, 5/4/07:
Oregon Newspaper Issues Challenge and Ithaca Reporter Takes a Shopping Trip  

 

Food Stamp Challenge,” by Timothy Alex Akimoff, Statesman Journal, 5/1/07, and “‘Silly shopping trip,’ reporting on poverty teach valuable lessons,” by Topher Sanders, Ithaca Journal, 5/4/07

An Oregon newspaper has issued its own food stamp challenge to see how two members of the public would shop on the $21 per week food budget that Governor Kulongoski just tried; moreover, an Ithaca Journal reporter on a team studying poverty in Tompkins County, NY took a shopping trip on a food stamp budget.

FRAC’s Federal Nutrition Programs Update, 4/28/07:
Members of Congress and Oregon Governor  

“Take the Food Stamp Challenge: Live on a Food Stamp Budget for a Week,” Dear Colleague Letter from Representatives James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), 4/26/07
“As Members of Congress, we don’t have to rely on Food Stamps to feed our families. But that means it is difficult for many of us to imagine what it is like to experience true hunger or to rely on the Food Stamp Program. That is why we are asking you to join us and take the ‘Food Stamp Challenge.’ From May 15 th to May 21 st, we will live on a food stamp budget. We believe we have a moral responsibility to end hunger in America, and our goal is to raise awareness of the difficulties facing food stamp recipients and demonstrate support for the Food Stamp Program’s vital role in providing nutrition assistance to low-income families.”

“Ore. gov. starts week on food stamps,” by Julia Silverman, AP, Boston Globe, 4/25/07
“If Gov. Ted Kulongoski seems a little sluggish this week, he's got an excuse: he couldn't afford coffee. In fact, the Democratic governor couldn't afford much of anything during a trip to a Salem-area grocery store on Tuesday, where he had exactly $21 to buy a week's worth of food--the same amount that the state's average food stamp recipient spends weekly on groceries. Kulongoski is taking the weeklong challenge to raise awareness about the difficulty of feeding a family on a food stamp budget. Accompanied by reporters and food stamp recipient Christina Sigman-Davenport, Kulongoski headed straight for a display of organic bananas, only to have Sigman-Davenport steer him toward the cheaper non-organic variety….Along the way, Sigman-Davenport, a mother of three who works for the state Department of Human Services and went on food stamps in the fall after her husband lost his job, dispensed tips for shopping on a budget. Scan the highest and lowest shelves, she told the governor. Look for off-brand products, clip coupons religiously, get used to filling, low-cost staples like macaroni and cheese and beans, and, when possible, buy in bulk….After the hourlong shopping trip, Kulongoski said he was mindful that his week on food stamps will be finite and that thousands of others aren't so lucky. ‘I don't care what they call it, if this is what it takes to get the word out,’ Kulongoski said, in response to questions about whether the food stamp challenge was no more than a publicity stunt. ‘This is an issue every citizen in this state should be aware of.’”

FRAC’s Federal Nutrition Programs Update, 4/13/07:
OR Governor’s Challenge and Farm Bill Push,
Al’s Morning Meeting with Local Angles for Reporters

" Governor Challenges Oregonians to Food Stamp Challenge ,” Salem-News, 4/12/07
“Governor Ted Kulongoski has challenged all Oregonians to join him and his wife, Mary Oberst, during “Hunger Awareness Week” from April 23rd-29th, and live off of an average food stamp budget of $21 per person for the week - or an average of $3 per day, per person….This year, the Food Stamp Program is being reauthorized at the federal level through the nutrition title of the farm bill. In addition to adequate funding for the program, the governor next week while in Washington D.C. will be asking Oregon’s congressional delegation to fight against threats to the program coming from the federal administration. In addition to the food stamp challenge, Governor Kulongoski will be participating in events throughout Hunger Awareness Week highlighting Oregon’s hunger problem and the progress the state is making to address it. To sign-up to participate in the Food Stamp Challenge email the Oregon Food Bank at advocacy@oregonfoodbank.org.”

“Al’s Morning Meeting,” Poytner.org, 4/11/07
“It could be eye opening to follow food-stamp recipients through a month or two. How do they make ends meet? Could you live within those means? I know plenty of journalists who are darn close to qualifying for public assistance.”

FRAC’s Weekly News Digest, 3/19/07:
Connecticut Student Public Interest Research Group
Experiences Living on Food Stamps

“ConnPIRG Seeks to End State Hunger,” trinitytripod.com, March 13, 2007
Members of Trinity College’s chapter of ConnPIRG, Connecticut Student Public Interest Research Group, participated in a food stamp project by living on $4 per day in food stamps for either a week or a month. The Charter Oak Cultural Center and the Center City Churches organized the project to raise awareness of hunger in the community. “Aside from one banana … I have not eaten any fruit,” wrote student Augusta Friendsmith in her project journal. “I also feel hungry all the time …. As an athlete, I am not getting enough calories; I feel weak during practices … I have lost four to five pounds this week. I have not weighed this little since high school,” she wrote. “All of us found not being able to access campus dining facilities and thus missing out on the social dimensions of eating, having to live on less food that we usually consume, and on food which is not of the highest quality and nutritional value, very challenging,” said Dora Turjan. “We have to keep reminding ourselves that having the opportunity to eat a sufficient amount of good quality food is not a natural, matter-of-fact component of everyday life,” she said.

FRAC’s Weekly News Digest, 3/26/07:
Nevada Reporter Steps into Shoes of Food Stamp Recipient

“The Food Stamps Diet,” newsreview.com, March 22, 2007
Kat Kerlin, a reporter for the Reno ( Nev.) News and Review went on a food stamp diet “to see what it’s like to live off the equivalent of food stamps for a month.” Kerlin used the maximum food stamp benefit given an individual – $155 a month – to set her food budget. “I’m hungry and cranky, and I broke down,” wrote Kerlin during the first week of her experiment. “There was a yogurt I left in the office fridge from last week (not part of the budgeted diet), so I ate it to hold me over for the next 2-3 hours until I can go home and make dinner. Next week, I’ll buy some peanut butter to get me through the day,” Kerlin wrote. “There’s a weird, psychological deprivation … that comes from not being able to eat or buy food whenever, wherever I want, so when I finally get it, I inhale it, like someone might take it away from me,” she observed. Kerlin stopped the diet in the end of the second week unable to watch her out of town friends eating and drinking at restaurants when they came to visit her. In her story, she also describes people on real food stamps who she met at local food banks. Kerlin discovered that the lack of basic conveniences such as a freezer and refrigerator or a car add extra difficulty to their ability to put food on the table.

FRAC’s Federal Nutrition Programs Update, 10/6/06,
and FRAC’s Weekly News Digest 10/17/06:
Tough Choices Challenge: KS Reporter on Food Stamp Budget

 “Challenge shines light on hunger,” by Joe Stumpe, Wichita Eagle, 10/4/06 (note: this series is no longer available online)
“What's it like to live on food stamps? I'll find out--sort of--this week. Thanks to a challenge from local organizations that serve poor people, I'm one of several people trying to spend no more on food for a week than I would receive under the government's food stamp program. For an adult, that amounts to a maximum of $38.75, or $5.53 a day. So it's hello, tuna fish sandwiches; goodbye, P.F. Chang's for lunch. More trips to the drinking fountain, none to the vending machine for bottled water. Hamburger and pasta instead of steak and seafood. The ‘Tough Choices Challenge,’ which kicked off Tuesday, is designed to raise awareness of hunger and the food stamp program in Sedgwick County…. Organizers of the challenge have several goals. The first is to get the Vision Card (which replaced food stamps in Kansas several years ago) to more people who need it. Currently, about 85 percent of people who qualify for food stamps receive them. That figure is higher than the national average, but still means that many families who could use assistance aren't getting it. Another goal is to increase the amount of assistance, especially at the minimum level, which is $10 a week. A third is to strengthen the network of other anti-hunger programs, such as the Lord's Diner and emergency pantries run by local churches…. But don't feel sorry for me. I'm doing this by choice, and only for one week. Feel sorry--or better yet, do something--for the people who have no choice in the matter.”

Challenge Day 2 : “My article in today's Eagle about what it's like to live on food stamps for a week generated quite a few phone calls and e-mails. Some readers hope the article awakens people to the hardships of poverty. Others complained that people with the Vision Card often don't shop wisely. But the No. 1 response was a suggestion about where to shop for cheap canned goods and produce….I'm getting plenty to eat but leaving out all frills, such as the salsa I would usually add to eggs or the mushrooms and peppers I would normally add to the baked spaghetti.”

Challenge Day 3: “As a food editor, I'm sorry my budget meals haven't been more creative to date (tuna fish, spaghetti, scrambled eggs), but I'm actually trying to save money now to splurge a little on the weekend. We are giving two dinner parties, scheduled long before I knew about the Tough Choice Challenge, and I'd like to sample at least a little of the food I'm cooking for others. I've continued to receive e-mails and phone calls about food stamps since the original article on the challenge ran in Wednesday's Eagle, and others have posted their comments on our Web site.”

FRAC’s Federal Nutrition Programs Update, 8/11/06,
and FRAC’s Weekly News Digest 8/14/06:
Philadelphia Story: Living on a Food Stamp Allotment

As part of its 10th anniversary celebration, the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger issued a challenge to the community: “experience the physical, emotional, and social difficulties of poverty and food insecurity by living on a food stamp budget for just one week.” For details on rules and registration instructions for those participating during the week of July 17th, go to http://www.hungercoalition.org/download/06FoodStampChallenge.pdf

“Dietary Challenges: Can man (and woman) live on food stamps alone,” by Doron Taussig, City Paper, 8/10 – 8/16/06
The “Food Stamp Challenge” sparked a strong column in the weekly City Paper by a reporter who tested out living on a food stamp allotment. “Forty-six dollars and thirty-four cents. That's how much our budget came out to for five days. A dollar fifty-five a meal for each person….At the time we figured this out, my wife and I were sitting on a picnic blanket in Fairmount Park, enjoying a lunch that cost $14.90 (I had a turkey club wrap, she a spinach salad; we each had a Gatorade). It was the day before we began the ‘Food Stamp Challenge,’ a campaign organized by the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger in which middle-class people lived for a week on the equivalent of food stamps. About 30 people signed on to take the challenge this July; we decided to do it for just five days. I was treating it as work…. I have a confession. We technically did not complete our five-day week. We could have. We had our normal, unpalatable breakfast, leftover rice and beans for lunch, and could have had a can of tuna we never used for dinner. But we didn't want to. It was Friday night, we had endured since Monday morning, and we wanted to go out. And that pretty much sums up the experience. Living on food stamps is possible, especially if you have access to an affordable grocery store, but it's also exceedingly unpleasant: monotonous, unhealthy, enervating, and so fragile that minor mistakes--or mishaps, like someone stealing your Pepsi--can send you reeling for days. Indeed, when I checked in with the Coalition, post-challenge, they said that most participants had a similar experience. They were able to design an affordable diet, but they were miserable on it. Many cheated and several quit.

 

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