Members of Congress take Food Stamp Challenge

Political Mavens ^ | 18 MAY 2007 | Kaitlyn Wilkins

[radar101]

Washington Post had an article yesterday on the Food Stamp Challenge, in which four members of Congress are attempting to eat on $21/week - the average per person allotment for food stamps in this country. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA.) and Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO.), who co-chair the House Hunger Caucus, called on all law makers to take the challenge though only two Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) stepped up to the plate.

Not surprisingly, the lawmakers found it nearly impossible to build any protein of fresh produce into their diets on the budget. (Note that they will not be eating or drinking anything at fundraisers or other events). Tim Ryan’s diet this week is limited to the following:
Yellow cornmeal $1.43
2 jars strawberry preserves 4.80
1 jar chunky peanut butter 2.48
2 packages angel-hair pasta 1.54
Chock Full o’ Nuts coffee 2.50
3 cans tomato sauce 4.50
2 containers cottage cheese 3.00
1 loaf wheat bread 0.89
1 head of garlic 0.32
Total: $20.66
That’s not much for anyone, much less for Ryan who is pushing 6′4″ (I know this because I have a mini-crush on him and met him at a DCCC fundraiser last year. I like tall Midwesterners like myself - sue me!)

What I found interesting about this great effort is the way that the members of Congress are utilizing social media tools to promote the initiative. McGovern, his wife and Ryan are all blogging on their daily experiences. Many of the posts are thoughtful and lengthy - generating dozens of comments a piece as individuals offer encouragement, or advice on recipes, rationing and purchases. Tim Ryan has also posted a video of his CNN interview on the challenge to his YouTube channel (though it’s not tagged well and doesn’t come up with a search of Food Stamp Challenge). The effort has also generated some buzz in the blogosphere where dozens of bloggers have mentioned the Challenge in the past few days.

Good to see a reminder that politicians can use new media not just to get elected, but also to advocate for change issue by issue.
(Via We’ll Know When We Get There)

[robertpaulsen]

In Illinois, a family of four (with no income) receives $518/month in food stamps. Mathematically that amounts to about $30/week/person, but there are economies of scale -- $518 buys a lot of food.

(Illinois Food Stamp Calculator)

[Tokra]

$4.50 for 3 cans of tomato sauce?

Next time just buy some tomatoes and an onion and make your own tomato sauce for far less.

[Gabz]

How about a course on shopping and one on cooking in order to be elgible to receive the food stamps?

[Polybius]

10 pounds of chicken leg quarters is $4.60, rice and beans are cheap.....

CUBAN BLACK BEANS AND RICE

[beckysueb]

You are right. We are not on food stamps but we like fresh vegetables. We are growing radishes, onions, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, and tomatos in a 8ft by 15ft space in our backyard.

[mpackard]

I have the sorry misfortune of having been related to someone who lived in subsidized housing. (I could go on and on) When food stamps were coupons, not many years ago, this persons neighors and she would sell the coupon to others at half of the value for cash. Free cash for the recipient and twice the food for the buyer. All a scam....

[Teacher317]

Why do they assume that food stamp recipients rely on ONLY that as their source of nourishment? For kids, add in school lunches. For mothers and small kids, there's the WIC program. There are soup kitchens and shelters that provide meals. There are even these weird things called FRIENDS... and FAMILY... and SIGNIFICANT OTHERS where one without income can rely on someone to supply food. Heck, the Olive Garden's unlimited soup and breadsticks for $2 was a staple for us as teens, just to get out of the house and talk for hours for little money. Having been a savvy and penniless college kid, there are plenty of school, church, support group, and other organizations that have food available at their meetings... and often they can tell who really needs to bring home the remainders of the KFC buckets. (The Ba'hais, with their meetings every 19 days, were a reliable source for me for one semester.)

Why must every individual government program be the ONLY source of help for us?

[beckysueb]

I have noticed food stamp holders buy a lot of junk food. Sodas and pizza, etc.

[Gabz]

It’s actually not all that difficult. And as another poster pointed out if you shop the “close to expiration” date meats you can get excellent deals........I like to hit my local supermarket on Tuesday mornings around 8:30, I then follow the meat manager around as he puts the discount stickers on. I can easily buy 2 weeks worth of a variety of meats and poultry for under $20.

[swain_forkbeard]

If you can’t feed 4 people for a month on five hundred dollars, you’re not trying very hard. If you had to do it, you could.

[Fresh Wind]

Yeah, fishing works, but the taxpayers will have to buy them a car so they can drive to where they can fish.

[Gabz]

Black beans are among my favorite of the legumes. We eat a lot of them in this house. Not because we are poor, because we like them. That they are inexpensive is just a plus.

[Teacher317]

SKIP: organic foods, name brands, gourmet foods, etc.

That just shows how uncaring we are, that we force our poor to choose non-organic and non-name-brands items. They should have the CHOICE to buy environmentally-friendly foods! They should be able to avoid the e-e-e-e-vils of the generic brand stigma. If only we cared ENOUGH! $2.9 trillion just isn't enough!

/sarcasm>

[angkor]

I just ran through the online grocery shopping service we use (Peapod) which is not the cheapest way to go.

For less than $21.00, we got 3lbs chicken, 12 eggs, onion, broccoli, kidney beans and red beans, rice, head of garlic, 1/2 gal milk, 1/2 lb cheese, carrots, green beans, spaghetti, tomato sauce.

Not gourmet, but adequate, and this is food stamps not a Vegas buffet. What do they expect?

[Mannaggia l'America]

Not surprisingly, the lawmakers found it nearly impossible to build any protein of fresh produce into their diets on the budget.

Maybe they should try getting a job. :-)

[Calpernia]

I would love to get my hands on public assistance systems. How do you feel when you see what you planted grow and produce? Imagine the benefits that would instill making people that need assistance learn that. They would have to go to farms, pick to earn their public assistance, LEARN how to plant and produce themselves, and walk away with pride and skills.

We may even end up with more farmers from a program like that.

[Calpernia]

The system is such a corrupt lottery scam, it makes me sick.

[Gabz]

With a bit of time and creativity, your grocery list could be turned into gourmet far easily.

The problem today is most people can not be bothered.

Every few weeks I devote most of a weekend to cooking and then package it in meal size portions for the freezer, this way when we find ourselves in a hectic cycle, something is already to be popped in the oven or crock pot.

It sure beats fast food in that it is both healthier and cheaper.

[Calpernia]

bttt

[Gabz]

But, but, but.........that’s not fair that would be like forcing them to work. Do I need a sarcasm tag?

I’ve been check around for U-pick farms and what’s in season when. I found a place for strawberries and I’m hoping to get there next week.