Here in America, there is more than enough food to feed every man, woman and child, yet one in six people (including one in five children) face hunger. That means that 50 million people are missing a week’s worth of meals per month. When you extrapolate that out, that means that 8.2 billion meals are missing from families’ tables annually. (Quote from Ron Shaich is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the Board of Panera Bread). September is Hunger Action Month TM. The goal of Hunger Action Month is to mobilize the public to act and spread awareness about the issue of hunger in America. Some of you may know that Scott and I have been participating in the SNAP Challenge since last Tuesday, September 17th and tomorrow will be our 7th day. We are each living on $4.50 a day, the average daily benefit per person provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as Food Stamps). As leaders and part of an organization that is committed to fighting hunger and making a difference in our communities, it is important that we understand what life is like for millions of low-income Americans living on the average daily allowance that SNAP offers. It has been an evolutionary process of understanding as each day has passed. Our first experience at the grocery store set the stage. We shopped at our local Walmart thinking surely our budget of $45.00 (a 5 day budget), would yield us what we would need to sustain our work week. Our intent was to go high on protein and vegetables and low on carbohydrates and non-nutritional items while at the same time knowing, in order to get us through the week with any kind of sanity, we would need a small sugar fix in the evening and something to “crunch” on during the day. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that part of the challenge in SNAP is the “Nutrition” part. That is the challenge that most of these families face when trying to feed their families on a small budget. So, with that in mind, I started in the meat section. I quickly realized that my typical choices of leaner choice selections would not be an option. I chose a large pack of chicken parts (legs, wings & thighs), a 2 pound package of ground beef (80/20), a package of boneless pork stew meat, which had a big yellow Manager’s special sticker on it, and a 4 pack of ground turkey patties. While I shopped I calculated my purchases and quickly realized I just spent $20.00 of our $45.00 budget. As I continued to shop, I looked for the best priced items that would yield the most. Breakfast was a 10 pack of Instant Oatmeal, a box of Cereal and a half gallon of milk. Lunch – 3 slices of thin sliced ham and a piece of cheese on white bread. My first choice would have been a wheat bread, but it was 40 cents higher in price and as it was, I had to put a few items back that I didn’t have money for. There really are no luxuries (meaning sauces, spreads, seasonings or even wheat or whole grains). Forget fresh fruits and vegetables! We had to suffice with frozen corn, carrots and lima beans at 98 cents a package. So, how are we doing? We are on day 6 and as I write this blog I am finishing up a pan cooked turkey patty on a corn tortilla. The cereal was gone yesterday and we need Oatmeal for Monday morning’s quick off to work breakfast. My allotment of coffee has been a real challenge. I get 1 tablespoon of coffee grounds a day. Two days ago I found myself second brewing the same tablespoon of coffee grounds hoping to get a second cup of coffee. The first cup was already weak so you can imagine a second brew! Each day, we take an inventory of meals needed and our food supply. This is done out of fear that we will not have enough to sustain our week. I have done this inventory each day since day 3, probably multiple times without realizing. We are only drinking water (not bottled), so while we are extremely hydrated, the headaches that come along with lack of caffeine and sugar a daily battle. High protein and low carbs mean lack of sugar, which translates to sugar lows. Energy level comes in waves. The protein helps for a short amount of time but quickly absorbs into the blood steam and fades away. We were out yesterday and our day ended up being a little longer than expected so we missed lunch. By the time we got home, we couldn’t get dinner prepared quick enough! A hamburger patty on two slices of white bread with a ½ cup of carrots and a ½ cup of corn. I now know how many of slices come in a loaf of white bread because I count them daily. Today is our Anniversary and we saved our daily budget of $4.50 each to buy ourselves a nice dinner. We talked about what that might be this morning, but neither of us could really gauge what we can afford so we will go to Ingles today and see what $9.00 will get us. We have 4 chicken wings left and a couple of legs so that will be our football day kick off lunch. We will budget in a bottle of hot sauce at the grocery store. Other factors in our week consist of breaking all habits of “Luxury”! No quick stops at a coffee shop, no beverages other than water, no quick pick me up snacks, no participation in special occasion celebrations. We celebrated a staff member anniversary meal this last week at the office and while everyone enjoyed a nice Mexican meal, we ate our Ham and Cheese with a few pretzels. Simple things become pronounced and most definitely important. Like making sure, as I drain off the cooked ground beef, I don’t lose any down the drain during the process. Or making sure every drop of my milk is used when eating my cereal. I now know why my grandmother always made me finish every drop of my cereal milk. I am sure it was a necessity when she was growing up. I also thought of our daughter who serves in the military. As I chopped an onion I made sure I picked up each piece so not to waste a morsel. My hands smelled like onions the remainder of the day. I remember a story she told me after she returned from Sere School, (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape). She was left with other soldiers in a simulated combat situation for a week. They would gather wild onions and cook them over a fire in water. She told me that they were often hungry but the scent of the onion on her hands would somehow calm her hunger a bit so she would find herself with hands to her face and breathing in the scent. It makes me wonder how children manage on less than adequate nutrition. It is such a vicious cycle that surely creates a domino effect. Hunger creates lack of strength, focus, aptitude and more than likely bad decisions. So, what now?? While this exercise has been extremely eye-opening, it can’t stop here. Our awareness has definitely been fine-tuned and I can say that we both have a better appreciation for doing our part in this “War” against hunger. Our week in no way can even compare to the truth that millions of Americans live every day. Our food supply has been small but we still have the luxuries of a nice home and all its amenities, vehicles that get us where we need to be, and all the other comforts that many Americans on SNAP do not have. I have heard controversial conversations about “people taking advantage” of the systems provided by the government, county & state. We all know these people exist…however so do the millions of Americans that do not know where their next meal will come from. My hope is that we may inspire others to do something….Anything is better than sitting back and continuing to watch. Or worse….not recognize the facts that are right in front of us.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 20:20:47 +0000
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