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Last year, after reading BlogHer CE Alanna Kellogg's post about The Hunger Challenge, I joined in though I am not a food blogger like those who created the challenge. I did so because I wanted to challenge myself to increase my awareness of the political issues involved and to motivate my activism to fight hunger in America.
I hope this year other political bloggers will join me in taking the challenge. In 2007 several Members of Congress took a food stamp challenge, where they (including my Representative) lived, like last year's hunger challenge bloggers, on a food stamp budget of $21 a week.
The Congresspeople who took the challenge were not the ones who were least aware of the problem. However, the value of them taking the food stamp challenge was that it brought attention to the issues and problems and raised the members' commitment during the time that The Farm Bill was up for re-authorization.
The Farm Bill is an important piece of legislation of which many political activists are not much focused or aware. Which is a shame because it affects many issues of concern to us wonky types. In addition to being the legislation through which food stamps are authorized, it is the mechanism through which commodity crop subsidies are administered (which, if you've read The Omnivore's Dilemma, you know means we are a nation of giant ears of corn with a side dish of edamame). In addition it affects many other areas of policy such as caring for the environment and how we provide foreign food aid.
As a result of the current recession, one in nine Americans receive food stamp assistance. As governments shed workers because of recession related funding crises and they layoff workers wait times to receive assistance grow. Food banks are overwhelmed by the increased need and gap-filling required. It is a vicious cycle that demands we as a nation examine what our basic values. Do we believe our neighbors, our community members, any human being should go hungry? And if we do not it is our duty, as citizens, to make that known to our elected representatives.
Having taken The Hunger Challenge last year, I can tell you that the effort to eat healthy on a limited budget even without some of the limitations many face (e.g., lack of access to grocery stores, no stable or secure home, food storage and cooking facilities) is more difficult than you might imagine. My consciousness and commitment to fighting hunger and raising my political voice were raised. And though my one week of individual action won't change the world, raising awareness and letting those in power know that I want structural change will.
I hope you'll consider joining me.
Related Reading:
San Francisco Food Bank Blog The Food Feed
Feeding America: September is Hunger Action Month
Teachers Christopher Greenslate and Kerri Leonard challenged themselves to eat on $1 day which is the amount on which many around the world subsist.
Deborahmichelle at The Dollar Stretcher.com Community: Small food stamp gripe
The challenges in applying for food stamps after her husband's death
BlogHer CE Catherine Morgan: The High Cost of Cheap Food
This post touches on why food policy results junk food calories being cheap and nutritious calories from foods like fresh vegetables being expensive.
BlogHer CE Britt Bravo: Try Eating for $4 a Day. Join The Hunger Challenge
Melissa Lafsky at Discover Magazine Discoblog: Incentives Incentives! Why Being on Food Stamps Up Your Obesity Risk
Why is this? Because food stamps offer a very small amount of credit—$81 a month for the average recipient in 2002—with which to purchase food. As such, people relying on the stamps have a strong incentive to buy cheap foods that are filling—in other words, the exact type of foods contributing to the obesity epidemic.
As we’ve said before, there are two camps when it comes to fighting obesity: punishing or restricting bad behavior (like oh, say, banning new fast food restaurants in poorer neighborhoods) and rewarding good behavior. We’ve come out in favor of the second option before, and this time is no exception. Rather than penalize food stamp recipients who buy unhealthy foods, we should offer incentives and rewards for purchasing produce, whole grains, and other ingredients that don’t pack on the pounds.
Julianne Hing at RaceWire The Colorlines Blog: The Record-Breaking Great Recession: Food Stamps Edition
There are also new reports to contend with these days, like the latest that links food stamp
