Posted on 04/12/2015 5:48:53 PM PDT by Paid_Russian_Troll
Gwyneth Paltrow is slashing her food budget to raise awareness about hunger. But sometimes even the best intentions are met with criticism, eye rolls and sarcasm.
Last week, the Oscar winner announced that she had accepted The Food Bank for New York City challenge to live on food stamps for one week, with a grocery budget of $29 or about $1.38 per meal.
According to the #FoodBankNYCChallenge, needy families are given $29 per person as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, after Congress cut food stamps twice since 2013.
Once Paltrow accepted the challenge, she tweeted a picture of her $29 in food choices brown rice, black beans, peas, eggs, tortillas, cilantro, limes and fresh vegetables.
But apparently the tweet left a bad taste, with many Twitter users eating the Iron Man star alive.
Vast difference living on food stamps for 1 week knowing youve a safety net of millions, and that being your life every day Gwyneth Paltrow, tweeted one person.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
My secretary shared the front office with the welfare secretary. The welfare secretary had worked there forever and was getting more annoyed at the bs every day. Their clients would come in bragging and showing off their bling to others in the waiting room but whine to her their kids were starving. What made her up and quit one day was that they were getting more freebie $$$$ than she did working full time.
My beef with her charade was twofold. First, I could fast for two weeks and spend less, big deal. Second, she never included her children. In the real world it isn’t just the mom living on 29 dollars. In the real world without handouts, it is even less. These things I know from experience so I am unimpressed. What a ridiculous thing to do... just to feel more common.
I saw the picture of her purchase, 6 limes. Who the hell uses that many lime unless you’re mixing drinks for a party.
“Why? What is your point, other than sneering at someone successful?”
Not sneering at her. I just think it is disingenuous. And since we have seen time and again how Hollywood elites make these “gestures” so they can look good , promote a film, whatever, if she is going to eat for 29 bucks a week, make it interesting.
I would go with something Iike a 29 buck challenge. For every family that takes the challenge, contribute a buck or two to a food bank. I am sure they would rather have a few million in their coffers than know Gwynth ate beans and rice for a week. And rather than just do it for one week, do it for several and come back with something useful like menus.
I get it. Instead of saying it she is doing it. But here is one for you. What kind of water do you think she is drinking while she is song this?
‘But here is one for you. What kind of water do you think she is drinking while she is song this?’
LOL. It seems like a kind of petty class warfare. Not somewhere, but right here, on FR! What difference does it make which water she drinks? She certainly haven’t advertised Perrier there.
Buffer overflow- usually gets received as 0000 ;)
Because Gwin shows the world that one CAN eat healthily on the $29/week allotment, if one is intelligent about food choices.
And that's without even getting into all the food you can get for free from food banks/food pantries.
Because at 1.50 a bottle, I would think that as part of the 29 bucks a week she will be drinking out of the tap. Oh, and no Brita filters either.
I am happy for anyone’s success that comes from hard work and commitment to their profession. I am also happy when people are socially conscience and take steps to help humanity. It's something all of us should do.
Last thing about this, what Ms. Paltrow shows us is that for 29 dollars a week, you can eat less than 1000 calories a day. Sorry, that's not showing us how she can help the poor. That's showing us a diet, something Paltrow is famous for.
Like I said, disingenuous.
Particularly if you're cooking for a family. "Family packs" of meat are cheaper than single servings. If you're single, get together with friends and alternate having meals at each others homes.
C’mon, you can come up with a better retort than “What kind of water do you think she is drinking while she is doing this?”
At least she did it for a week. That’s not just a one-day version (like the “OMG I survived homelessness overnight” dweebs), it’s well past the “9 meals limit”[1]. Have _you_ tried it? I grew up on it, and never realized there was an issue.
She gave the “SNAP money is/isn’t enough” issue a fair try, and discovered it’s doable. This of course outrages the perpetually outraged who were rallying behind the “isn’t” version, only to have one of their own prove otherwise. I’m just puzzled at why so many FReepers are likewise outraged, relegated to snide comments about what kind of water she drank - thus completely [dis]missing the point that SNAP is not inadequate, and further increases are unnecessary (esp. in context of other “entitlements” like EBT, and minimum wage requiring just 4 hours for the capable to earn it).
[1] - the prepper’s observation that if people miss 9 meals, social breakdown ensues. If your diet leaves you in an OK state after 27 meals, it’s OK.
Yep. Per person, and AVERAGE, including those with higher income receiving a partial.
LOL. If I have very little money the last thing I will worry about is jazzing up my food!
The bigger problem is that this breaks down to about 1000 calories a day. By contrast, inmates at Auschwitz received about 1300.
I went to the grocery and priced it all out today. $26 dollars even. That’s with a club card discount and a digital coupon. Without those it would have topped $29.
Eggs=$1.96. Lettuce=98c. Kale=98c. Sm Avocado=58c. Onion=16c. Spring onions=50c. Corn (4/$1 last week)=25c. Tomato=20c. Garlic=10c. Potato=20c. Jalapeno (98c/lb @ 25 per lb.)=4c. Tortillas (mine were 20 count vs her 18 but not going to quibble)=$1.67. Beans=$1.18. Rice=45c. Cilantro=48c. Limes=over guessing $1.50 max. (6 or 8 for $1 last wk. but I bought bottled juice for $1.37 which was the better price and will last longer). Peas=guessing $1.50 (I buy canned 44c). TOTAL $12.73. No coupons or club card. That leaves $16.27 to buy a ham shank=$1.47/lb or chicken=$1/lb and other REAL people foods.
Bok Choy - 3.00
Avocado - 1.25
1 lb. rice - 1.79
1 lb. black beans - 1.79
7 limes - 3.50
cilantro - 1.99
green onions - .99
onion - .35
dozen eggs - 2.25
ear of corn - .50
tomato - .95
tortillas - 1.80
peas - 2.00
pepper - .25
red garnet yam - 1.10
bulb of garlic - .99
kale - 1.50
Total $26.00
That was with club card, with digital coupons and without taxes. All prices were checked this afternoon.
Oh, the ham shanks in my freezer were 2.99 lb. as I posted before. On sale.
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