Food Stamp Challenge

Earlier this semester, our Community Nutrition class took a challenge that is gaining popularity in the United States. Eat on $4 a day for 5 days. No free food acceptance. The "food stamp challenge" is supposed to simulate what it would feel like to live on food stamps and/or be food insecure (food stamps is known today as SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The easiest way to do this, of course, would be dollar TV dinners and cans of refried beans - but being a stubborn nutritionist, I thought I could eat healthy on not much money without blinking an eyelash. I was right about being able to eat nutritiously for little money, one just has to have the know-how. But I was wrong about two things.

First, I had a rough time eating only broccoli, tortillas, bread, oatmeal, green peppers, grapes and the other sustenance food I bought. Somehow in my excitement of "the challenge" I forgot that my eating habits aren't that great, nutritionist though I am. Basically I eat whatever I want whenever I want. This is the first time in my life I have ever had to restrict my diet. It was a mental strain, especially as others around me continued to eat whatever they wanted. I broke down the fourth day and bought some iced oatmeal cookies for $1.08 (don't worry, I still was under the $20 limit).

My second incorrect assumption was that I would know what it felt like to live on food stamps. I did not learn this. I learned how it felt to be food insecure. Those can be one and the same, but they can also be two very different things. In both my research and in my own experience (purchasing groceries weekly for clients who use food stamps), I have found plenty who say they do not starve on food stamps, but also plenty who say they can’t qualify for food stamps and are starving. Others have commented to me that they see people on food stamps buying uncommon and expensive foods. I know personally those who I buy for are certainly not starving.
This experience did not put me in the shoes of those on food stamps, but it has enlightened my view on the flawed system I live in - one where tax payers’ money can go to artichoke hearts and filet mignon for some while others go hungry because they cannot qualify. I do not have a solution. But as I have learned through the years, I can make the biggest difference by starting where I am, helping those near me get the food they need.

For a different view on the food situation in America, see CNN reporter Sean Callebs' experience on the food stamp challenge. $176 for food for a month. Callebs was a proponent of the portion of the stimulus package that fed into the SNAP program. Go here to read why.

More reflections of Congress-men and -women who have taken the challenge can be found at this site, as well as a great debate with pro and con comments.

Thanks for reading,
Heather

"There are starving kids in Africa..."

Food security is the access to enough food for an active, healthy life. It means that food is there when you're hungry. If you are food insecure, you are hungry and have no prospects for food.

Face of Hunger - Utah

This last Tuesday the authors of this blog attended a conference in Salt Lake City - the Face of Hunger Utah conference. The majority of professionals in attendance were from food pantries and food banks, and a lot of the seminars held and ideas shared were geared to their efforts in feeding the hungry.

We spent the majority of the way home discussing the day, the speakers, and our opinions. This is what we heard and what we think about it:

• Our philosophy: Poverty in America is largely a result of misguided priorities. Hunger is a result of poverty. Thus, to give the hungry a source of sustainable food, they need a source of income. This doesn’t mean handing out food; it means creating jobs and helping them back onto their own feet. Starting a business would be a better long-term solution than starting a food bank.
• Giving without receiving: A lot of professionals at the conference were excited to report the increased number of users of food pantries and food stamps. They feel they are reaching those who need the help, and I’m sure they are in part. However, everyone has a different philosophy to help the hungry. The authors of this blog feel that giving the hungry the resources to find a job/career would be a better approach than giving the hungry government assistance to rely on.
• School Lunch and Summer Lunch Programs: Programs for hungry children are awesome. We gladly give our tax dollars to the innocent who cannot help themselves.

Face of Hunger - SUU

Under our mentor Cindy Wright, Brooke Nelson (another student in nutrition) and I directed a research study on food security at SUU this year. Our results were a little higher than we had thought they would be. At SUU, 36.2% of students, 22.2% of staff, and 8.6% of faculty are food insecure. They do not have access to enough food for a healthy life. Student and staff food insecurity is very high compared to the 2007 national average of 11% food insecure households, and Utah's 12.5% food insecure households. Food security has probably increased in the U.S. as a whole as we've been in a recession for a year now. However, it seems college students may be more hungry than we think.

If you cannot afford food

SUU HOPE pantry. Location: 185 S 300 W, white house across the street from science building. Phone: 435.586.8864. (You can just walk in and get whatever food you need, no ID)

Iron County Care and Share. Location: 222 W 900 N Phone: 435.586.4962