Sunday, December 2, 2012

Food Stamp Challenge

HERE

I have a problem with this. Its made headlines lately because of New Jersey city Newark's Mayor, Corey Booker.

They are doing it by average recipent amount per state.
So.. what about the 16$ a month minimum benefit that people like me receive?
I no longer receive any benefits, due to a massive error on the great old state of TN's part (ugh) but I'd like to see them all live off .53 cents a day.
Try it.
Its not easy.

I'm participating and I will update with my food choices.
Some notes to remember about me:
I have an adjustable gastric band (Lapband) so I eat LESS in portion sizes than others, but more frequently.
I am coming off a 3 day doctor prescribed liquid diet (that ends at midnight on 12/3 or right about now)

I focus on protein, veg/fruit and THEN carbs if at all.

I do this EVERY month, with or without a 'challenge'.
I regularly skip filling prescribed medicines because I must choose between food, gas (to get to the doctor) and medicine co-pays.

Anyhoo heres an article about Corey Booker and his challenge:


Cory Booker did a little grocery shopping this weekend. A very little.
The Newark Mayor is taking the Food Stamp challenge and will spend one week, beginning Tuesday, eating only what food stamps can provide.
The average monthly food stamp benefit was $133.26 per person in New Jersey in fiscal year 2011, according to the US Department of Agriculture. That's a little over $33 per week, or $4 per day.
No word yet on what Booker bought, but he did tweet that he will be doing without coffee this week.
"I won't be able to afford it," he tweeted.
Adding a little perspective to this is Starbucks' announcement last week that the coffee company is introducing a $7 cup of joe — about two days worth of food for those living on food stamps.
But its not just premium coffee. Milk costs about $3.50, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Food Stamp challenge aims to highlight what it is like to live on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The challenge is sponsored and promoted by the Food Research and Action Center.
Many people have tweeted Booker in the past week to say they will join him.
Booker has also received several tweets excoriating the idea.
One gentleman named Samuel wrote the mayor, "Food stamps are meant to be supplemental income, not ones ENTIRE income. So this challenge is bunk."
Households must meet an income test to qualify for food stamps. For a household of one, that means net income must not exceed $931 per month.
This all began after a back-and-forth conversation between Booker and a woman who goes by the name TwitWit and uses the handle (at)MWadeNC. They began talking about the idea while discussing the role the government should play in funding school breakfast and lunch programs.
During their Twitter exchange, TwitWit wrote, "nutrition is not the responsibility of the government."
The conversation soon changed to food stamps.
"Why is there a family today that is 'too poor to afford breakfast' "? are they not already receiving food stamps?" TwitWit wrote.
"Let's you and I try to live on food stamps in New Jersey (high cost of living) and feed a family for a week or month. U game?" Booker responded.
In an interview with The Associated Press TwitWit said she is a 39-year-old married mother of two from North Carolina. She spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because she said she has received threats since her Twitter discussion about food stamps.
She said she is willing to participate in the challenge but wants to know the ground rules before committing. She has not heard from Booker's office and is upset she has not been included in the research process.
"To hear he's planning and setting things up, it makes me feel like I'm a little bit of a prop in the game," she said.

Courtesy of The Star-Ledger

No comments:

Post a Comment