DC Hunger Solutions is sponsoring the 2012 Food Stamp Challenge in the nations capital.
The Food Stamp Challenge gives participants a view of what life can be like for millions of low-income Americans. Challenge participants use the average Food Stamp Program benefit – just $30 per person – as their budget for food for one week. They are forced to make difficult food shopping choices, and often realize how hard it is to avoid hunger, afford nutritious food, and stay healthy.
Beginning today and over the next week, the EHRP team will highlight entries from the diaries of various participants: We begin with
Ariana Quiñones-Miranda, Chief of Staff, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, Washington DC
Wow, this is definitely a challenge! My 11-year-old daughter and I are participating so we had $60 to spend on the week’s groceries…The first thing to go out the window was “convenience food.” We had to minimize the individually packaged fruit cups, granola bars, and juices that usually go in my daughter’s lunch box… It was frustrating to not have enough money to buy a larger size item even though it was a better deal than the smaller size.
