The Food Stamp Challenge

Politicians all over the US are taking the Food Stamp Challenge--trying to live on $21/week in groceries, the average family benefit from the food stamp program.

This demonstration/protest is part of a larger effort to call attention to Chuck Schumer's proposal to index food stamp benefits to inflation.

Comments

[soullite]

At least someones finally trying to do something to help people who don't make a six figure salary.

[Dave]

This and unemployment need serious fixing!

[twig]

BoingBoing linked to one of the blogs; the congressman had his PB&J confiscated at the airport, leaving him only a bag of cornmeal for the rest of his meals.

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/21/update_on_congresscr.html

[Cass]

I love the idea- though its a little sad only four Congresspeople bothered themselves to try it. I think we'd likely be a much different society, if more of our ruling class took just a few days each year to step out of their bubble and see how thousands of others live.

I'd be willing to set up the "challenge" in which lawmakers, judges, and prosecutors get to experience what its like to flee a homocidal ex-spouse across several states with three small children, trying to remain hidden while applying for benefits, a job, and a place to lay down at night.

[Alon Levy]

The average American consumes slightly under 3,000 calories a day, once you account for food spoilage and plate waste. Assuming people on food stamps have none, it means they have to avoid food that has fewer than about 900 calories per dollar. The only things that cost that little in my area are plain rice, mayonnaise, cooking oil, plain pasta, ramen, one type of cookies, and one brand of bologna. Since rice and oil are both in the 2,000/$ area, you might be able to push the boundary a little lower, in which case you can also get two specific kinds of bread, a few more brands of bologna and cookies, flavored rice, and I think a few sauces like ketchup. If you're my weight then you can push it even a little further, but most first-worlders aren't, and a level of caloric consumption that will make my stomach ache from bloating will not be enough to keep other people from being hungry.

Now, a few crib notes about that list:
- It only has one high-protein food, bread. Good meat, which has more protein than fat, costs far more than someone on food stamps can afford; bologna is fairly low in protein.
- None of the foods has any vitamins A or C, or calcium. The cheapest cheese I've found is a brand of American cheese that has 560 cal/$, and that costs 50¢ per four slices, the amount needed to satisfy one person's calcium requirement. The best source of vitamins A and C, red bell peppers, costs about $1.50 per pepper at the cheapest possible places, and no fraction of a pepper will be enough to satisfy vitamin A requirements.
- If you don't mind living on plain rice and plain pasta, you can avoid overconsuming sodium and the increased risk of high blood pressure it entails. Otherwise, prepare to exceed the sodium RDA by a factor of 2.

[Anacher Forester]

Good will only come of this if it receives widespread attention. With conservatives' historical animus regarding food stamps and welfare one thing is always overlooked: these programs are hardly for freeloaders. Anything other than a minimal income disqualifies you from these meager benefits.

Almost ten years ago I was recovering from a car accident, collecting unemployment and living in the city. I'll spare y'all the gory details but my then-girlfriend-now-wife's salary and my unemployment weren't coming close to covering my out of pocket medical expenses, utilities, rent, etc., let alone food. Our saving account was now empty. Things were getting desperate so swallowing my pride I applied for Food Stamps. Even though my weekly unemployment benefits were limited by NY State law to a mere pittance of my former salary, I was ineligible for Food Stamps as my weekly income was $8 over the limit.

While waiting two years for my SSDI to be approved, I couldn't come close to making ends meet as a "single" man living in the city. I can't imagine trying to get by either solely or mostly via public assistance especially if I had dependents.

AF

[SamChevre]

Sounds like college.

Alon Levy--wouldn't eggs make it? At 76 calories per egg, that's 900 cal/$ if eggs are a dollar a dozen.

And that let's in one of my old staples--eggs, oil, rice, and spinach boiled together. (About 1 pound of rice, 6 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, and a bag of spinach. At current prices, about 800 cal/$).

[Alon Levy]

A dollar a dozen? Wow. The cheap stores in my area sell them for, I think, 2-3 dollars per half dozen.

[SamChevre]

Wow. Here, expensive eggs (free-range eggs at a health food store) are $3.25 a dozen (I know, because I sell eggs to someone who used to buy there). Medium eggs at WalMart I'm pretty sure are less than $1--I'll check next time I go and correct if I'm wrong.

[John]

I usually see eggs for about $1.60 per dozen, sometimes a bit higher than that.

[janet]

A dozen eggs are less expensive, per egg, than a half dozen -- as with most things, you save money by buying in bulk. Of course, if you're living close to the edge, you can't buy in bulk because you don't have a cushion that enables you to buy the big box this week that will allow you to save money in the long run -- the long run being the next month or so. Just another way that being poor makes it hard to save money.

[soullite]

I live in Upstate Ny, and we have plenty of dairy and poultry farms. I can confirm that if you live in such an area, Eggs are cheaper than nearly anything else. It is not uncommon for the local convenient store chain (Stewarts) to sell eggs for $.99. In this sort of area, I have never seen eggs over $1.50. So in an area like this, cheap protein isn't a problem. That doesn't really mean most area's are like that, though. I can see how egg prices would be significantly higher in an area not saturated with eggs.

[SamChevre]

Also (I went home and looked in my cupboard), what about dry beans? 5# of dry beans gives about 7 quarts of cooked beans--about 6500 calories. That means you can pay $1.50 a pound for dry beans and be within your 900 cal/$ limit. I'm pretty sure that dry beans usually cost less than $1 a pound at the local ethnic markets. (And of course, you can always add 2000 cal/$ cooking oil to get the calories up.)