An Attitude of Gratitude - $31.50 Weekly Food Budget
The front page of today’s Metro section of The Washington Post features an article titled “A hungry challenge with food stamps” by Teresa Tomassoni.
Food Stamp Challenge participants step into the shoes of the poor
When you view the article at the above link, the photograph you will see shows Rabbi Steve Gutow and his reaction to the only instant coffee he can afford on a weekly food stamp budget.
Hundreds of community leaders across the country have participated in the second national Food Stamp Challenge. The purpose of the challenge is to demonstrate the difficulties that poor families face when surviving on a food budget of $31.50 each week, the average food stamp allocation for an adult.
We live in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC and the area is frequently recognized as one of the most wealthy communities in the United States. Yet, in the District of Columbia, 140,000 people, or one in four, rely on the food stamp program provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Washington Post article reports that over 45,000,000 people in the country rely on the program.
“If you live like the poor, you sort of understand more of what it is like.” is the remark by Rabbi Gutow as he describes his participation in the Food Stamp Challenge.
Most of us have not participated in the Food Stamp Challenge but all of us should take a few moments to list the food we would purchase this week if our budget were limited to $31.50. Yes, we would be hungry and would probably miss a few meals.
During this season of Thanksgiving, let’s give some thought to the living conditions of millions of poor families and express our Attitude of Gratitude when we do our part to help the less fortunate.
Chrysanthemum Display: Autumn Harvest is the seasonal Conservatory Display at Brookside Gardens in Montgomery County, Maryland. October 8 through November 20, 2011. Our visit was on October 22. Photograph by Dolores Kelley using a Canon PowerShot S90 camera.
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
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