Taking the Texas Food Bank Challenge

Vangelia Perryman, our SPFB e-communicator, called me today with an innocent question: “Hey David, I have a question...  Are you going to do the ‘Texas Food Bank Challenge?’” I said sure... what is it? 

The idea of the challenge is feed yourself for five days using the average daily amount available to people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps). The current benefit is $4.50 per day.

Of course there is a twist. Congress is currently considering cutting SNAP benefits to “pay” for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill and some Medicaid funding.( I guess the idea is that hungry people won’t mind going a little hungerier to feed the poor.) So for two days, the benefit is reduced to $3.70  a day to reflect the impact of the Congressional Cuts. It didn’t take me long to realize that I would have $20.90 for food for five days.

“OK,” I thought. I can do that. Seventy-five percent of the people we serve at the South Plains Food Bank also receive SNAP benefits. I thought of the resources they tap into ranging from food boxes from our agencies, meals at soup kitchens, produce we give away from our farm and orchard. It shouldn’t be too hard.

Then Vangelia hit me with the “rules.” I can’t accept “charity” from friends, family, or even kind strangers. And I can only use food I purchase with my food stamp “allocation.” The real rules for people receiving food stamps are 1) you earn less than 130% of the federal poverty guidelines,  2) you have very limited assets, 3) you have been a U. S. citizen or legal immigrant for a least five years.

I protested that if charity is available to help food stamp recipients it should be available to me as well! Then she pointed out that I only qualify to receive food stamps on one point, I’ve been a US citizen for more than five years! “Use up your retirement account ,” she said,”sell your car get rid of your house and we can talk. Oh, and expect a pay cut!” Give me a break.

So now I’m planning my menu for the challenge. The reality of my spur of the moment decision is starting to sink in.  I won’t be stopping by Starbucks for a cup of Pikes Place this week. That’s nearly half my daily allocation. I might stop by McDonald’s because they give me the senior coffee special. (It’s irritating that they just assume I qualify... but that’s another story.) When the Congressional cuts come into play, I won’t even be able to do that. I may be pretty cranky by the end of the week.

I love to hear your thoughts and ideas on how I should plan for the challenge. I’m a vegetarian, I love chocolate (I even like chocolate drizzled on vegetables), and I like to run. If you were in my running shoes, how should I be planning to make it through the week on my Food Stamp Diet?

David Weaver

South Plains Food Bank