City Officials Take the Food Stamp Challenge
by Ellen Vollinger
It’s what the San Francisco Chronicle has called the “hottest diet sweeping the nation.” And it’s been brought to America by, among other people, city officials and nonprofit partners in their communities: Mayor John Hickenlooper of Denver; Councilmember Eric Gioia of New York City; Mayor-Elect Cindy Rosenthal of Norman, Okla.; Council Chairman Vincent Gray of Washington, D.C.; Councilmember Sally Clark of Seattle; Councilmember Bob Johnson of St. Cloud, Minn.; Mayor Peter Corroon of Salt Lake County; and others. It is the “Food Stamp Challenge” — eating on the $21 per week that is the average allotment given food stamp recipients.
The food stamp program is the nation’s most important line of defense against hunger in the U.S. More than 26 million people receive the benefits, but those benefits are often too low for recipients to purchase nutritious food for healthy meals on a consistent basis. Moreover, about one in three eligible people do not know they qualify or how to apply for the benefits.
While living on a food stamp budget for just a week cannot come close to the struggles encountered by low-income families week after week and month after month, it does provide those who take the challenge with a new perspective and greater understanding. Moreover, the challenge helps build momentum for benefit improvements and awareness that increasing participation can bring more federal benefits to households and local economies.
The challenge first grabbed local headlines in the summer of 2006 when the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger challenged supporters observing its anniversary to live on a food stamp allotment. Later in 2006, interfaith leaders in Wichita, Kan., took the challenge. In 2007, residents in Reno, Nev., and Connecticut followed suit. Then, in spring 2007, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Utah Gov. John Huntsman Jr., seven members of Congress, numerous city officials, reporters and other concerned community leaders took the challenge.
What has eating on a food stamp allotment been like for those on the challenge? “Two days into the challenge, I began to realize how difficult — almost impossible — such a budget is, even just for a week,” said Mayor Hickenlooper. “I was hungry when I woke up and when I went to bed. It affected my physical energy and my mental energy. Food and the cost of food took up much of my time. I took no morsel for granted.”
Gray tried to “make his four cans of tuna and jar of mayo last,” but admitted it was hard not to cheat when offered freebies. Eating on a food stamp allotment meant watching every food penny, something Seattle Councilmember Sally Clark wouldn’t normally do while shopping for her normal $90 to $100 a week in groceries for herself and her partner.
According to the New York Daily News, “The food stamp diet left City Councilman Gioia so hungry he wolfed down his week’s rations in only five days — and was forced to go to a Queens food pantry.”
Inspired by these city leaders and other concerned people, the challenge is continuing to spread and is informing lawmakers about improvements needed in the 2007 Farm Bill. Said Mayor Hickenlooper, “Congress is currently considering whether to increase the food stamp budget for a family of four by $48 a month. After what I experienced, I’d say they could use the increase.”
Details: A tool kit from The Hatcher Group and the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) on how to mount a Food Stamp Challenge is available at www.thehatchergroup.com. For news about past and current challenges, visit www.frac.org. For assistance in launching the challenge, contact evollinger@frac.org
To learn more about NLC’s efforts to help cities connect residents to food stamps and other federal benefits, visit www.nlc.org/iyef or contact Abby Hughes Holsclaw at NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) at (202) 626-3107 or holsclaw@nlc.org.
Ellen Vollinger is legal director at the Food Research and Action Center.
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