46 Million and Counting

One Week. $4 a day. Are you ready for the food stamp challenge?

           Four dollars may not seem like much for you or for me but for the 46 million people across the United Sates, it is a matter of life and death.

In November 2008, fewer than 31 million people were on food stamps. Even with the economy slightly improving these days, the number of people on food stamps has rapidly increased. On September 4, 2012 the United Sates government reported a record number of 46.37 million Americans were receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). With a population of just over 308 million, almost 15 percent (1 in 7 Americans) of the American population counts on the program in order to survive.

Right here in Utah we have seen a huge increase in food stamp recipients. Since the nation's economic recession began in 2007, the number of food stamp recipients in Utah has risen by 112 percent. In September of 2011, that number included more than 293,000 people in Utah. The program is specifically designed to be a safety net to help ensure that people have access to food during difficult times.

Because of this and the need that is out there for food assistance, the Food Stamp Challenge was born. The Challenge first captured the public’s attention in 2006 when the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania hosted one. The Challenge exploded on the national stage in 2007 when four Members of Congress – Representatives James McGovern (D-Mass.), Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), and Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) pledged to live for one week on an average food stamp budget and write about their experiences.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people from all across the country have taken the challenge. From governors, mayors to community leaders and regular citizens, all are taking part in the Food Stamp Challenge. Heck, even celebrities are getting in on the act. This past year celebrity chef Mario Batali took part in the challenge with his own family. One of the first things Batali noticed during the challenge was that he felt like he was starving himself. Batali went on to say that, “Subsisting on food stamps, especially when food is made from scratch, is doable.” He added that although you can survive on a couple dollars a day it is not a good environment that you can thrive in.

While living on a food stamp budget for just one week cannot come close to the struggles encountered by low-income families’ week in and week out. Taking part in the challenge provides great insight and will give you a whole new perspective and greater understanding about hunger in America. So go ahead and take part in the challenge and see for yourself if you could survive on a food stamp budget of four dollars a day.

The Food Stamp Challenge Participation Guidelines:

1. You have a daily food budget of $4 (Utah’s average daily per person benefit). This means you should spend no more than $28 for a week’s worth of food.
2. All food purchased and consumed during the Challenge week, including any fast food or eating out, should be included in your total food spending.
3. All of the food and beverage you consume for the week must come from your food stamp budget. You cannot eat food you already own (including items like condiments).
4. You cannot procure free food (i.e. from friends or relatives)
5. Keep a log of your spending as well as the kinds of food you are (and aren’t) able to buy.