View Full Version : Cory Booker and the Food Stamp Challenge
Newark mayor Cory Booker is spending 7 days eating only what he can buy with the average food stamp allotment.
http://tv.msnbc.com/2012/12/05/cory-bookers-food-stamp-challenge-stunt-or-learning-experience/
I think this is really interesting. Personally I would like to see some kind of "poverty bootcamp" become a required part of the induction period for everyone in congress. Spend the month immediately after swearing in living on foodstamps, in an area dominated by public housing, without health insurance and without a car. Walk a mile in those shoes and then see how you think about making cuts to social service programs. Might not change everyone's position, but at least they would have some experience with what it is like to live on the edge before they take an axe to the budget.
lhamo
Anyone can squeak by for a week or a month - it's not a real test unless some unexpected issue comes up requiring money they don't have, and other people (probably kids) are impacted by their choices.
I read about Cory Booker taking on that challenge. He is a really inspirational mayor.. he really walks the walk--living in marginal neighborhoods, walking to work, being out in the community. Of all the politicians I know, he'd be the least insincere about a "stunt" like this.
BTW, note the reference to Joel Berg, head of New York City Coalition Against Hunger--he's my daughter's former boss (she worked under him there for two years). My husband did his food stamp challenge. I was out of town on business that week and couldn't participate, but he reportedly barely got by on Saltines and Campbell Soup. I would have planned differently, but still... the money didn't go very far.
I hope Booker's challenge gets the right kind of publicity.
Our Phoenix mayor did the same thing, and lost a few pounds and also gained some respect for how to stretch a food dollar.
I agree, lhamo, that some kind of working-class/poverty boot camp would be an eye-opener. Could be made into a game - e.g., decide which gets paid, a medical bill or a car repair; find a neighbor or friend to watch your child when you have to work overtime or night shift; negotiate with the pawn shop on a piece of jewelry; figure out the bus system and what to do when it's running on holiday schedule and you need to get to work. etc.
try2bfrugal
12-5-12, 10:49pm
I think not having a car and living in a poor urban areas definitely makes it hard to live on $5 a day per person for food. But definitely some the reason $5 a day isn't enough is also due to the pervasiveness of advertising promoting poor value convenience foods. When I took on a project of how to live on a couple of dollars a day for food, it was hard knowing where to start. For me it really took a spreadsheet showing how much different foods cost per 2,000 calories to see what I could buy and could not buy. There are probably well over 100 different foods you can mix and match at the grocery store and eat well for $5. They are mainly unprocessed, single ingredient whole foods. But the average grocery store has 10K items and those are the ones that are all well advertised.
A couple of cans of soup will get you maybe 400 calories and there goes your $5. So you really have to be very selective on what you buy and where you buy it with that kind of dollar limit, and that isn't a skill taught many places. Some blogs show how to do it but they often have diabetes inducing menus devoid of whole produce.
There just isn't a lot of good information on how to plan menus on a limited budget like that.
Well, good for him for at least making an effort. If nothing else, it will shine a light on what many folks deal with for months, or years, on end, and I'm guessing that is his real focus. And it's not just folks on food stamps. With food prices soaring, many folks not on food stamps manage on this amount, or not much more, as a reality of their daily lives. We have to eat, and our kids have to eat, everyday. This is not an expense we can defer to the next month, or next year when we've saved a bit.
I think this is what those who would cut food stamps and other food programs don't get. This is an expense that is needed EVERY DAY. Not just Monday through Friday. Not just the first and third Monday of every month. Every day.
Maxamillion
12-5-12, 11:08pm
There's a game here http://playspent.org/ that takes you through examples of what it's like to live in poverty. Not the same as living it of course but maybe it can start to open the eyes of some people. I honestly don't know how low-income people with families make it. A lot of pasta, rice, potatoes, and beans maybe? That tends to be my diet the last week or two of the month when I don't have any money left. Also, I'm completely for the idea of a poverty boot camp, I think most of the Congress critters are out of touch with what the average American has to deal with, let alone those that are in poverty.
There was an article about him in the paper today. He bought 17 cans of beans and corn, 7 yams, 3 bags of frozen vegetables, greens, oil and 2 apples. He says that if he could do it over again, he would buy a dozen eggs and use coupons. There should be some sort of list and basic menu plan for people on food stamps to help make it work.
I didn't know much about him but saw him on TV after Hurricane Sandy. He seems pretty cool, and if I dare say, a bit of a hottie.
...There should be some sort of list and basic menu plan for people on food stamps to help make it work.
There are all kinds of gooberment information sources (web and in print) as well as local programs where nutritionists demonstrate/teach healthy cooking and eating. And then, there are privately funded information sources including classes, pamphlets, demonstrations, etc. Scads of informaiton exists is anyone bothers to access it.
I, for instance, took a bean cooking class from a nutritionist who taught at a local food bank.
There are indeed lots of publicly funded resources out there, but one of the huge challenges for people really living on the edge is access to them in the first place and then having the time/resources to sustain them. A single parent working long hours just to keep the rent paid is going to have limited time for comparison shopping and learning to cook. If you can't keep the electricity and gas on because you don't have the money for the bills on a regular basis, then you can't store large amounts of food in a freezer and you may not even be able to cook it. Not to mention the problem of food deserts, etc.
And then there are just the basic challenges of getting kids to eat healthier foods. Both the time it takes to prepare them (not always time you want to spend after a long day) and the risk that you make something that they don't eat. I can absorb some trial and error wasteage in my budget. If I buy eggplant and the kids don't eat it, I still have other stuff I can give them. Someone who needs to make every penny and every calorie count might not be willing or able to take that risk.
That being said, I would not be averse to more restrictions on what foods people can buy with food stamps. I think WIC offers a very good model in that respect.
I know there are probably always going to be people who game the system, but I would rather there be a system that keeps people out of a totally devastating crisis situation than the alternative.
lhamo
i think the food desert is a really massive problem. in philly, there was a massive community garden project combined with CSAs creating "food-stamps accepted" farmers markets.
this was then coupled with inner-city schools focusing on educating children -- as young as age 6 -- in growing and preparing foods at home. The kids grow at school, harvest, and divide the harvest among the class to take home. They made something in class with the harvest, to learn recipes. In addition, the CSAs bring things around, and the schools are actually supplying *salt and pepper*. I remember, because I got on the one list to buy "school supplies" and salt and pepper were on the list. I bought a MASSIVE bag of both through a bulk coop and had it delivered to the school.
Mom or dad is usually working the old 90 hr work week (plus commute) to keep things rolling, and so the kids -- even very young ones -- are often home alone. Teaching them these basic safety skills and cooking skills apparently makes quite a difference for the family.
I'll see if I can find the documentary on it. It was pretty cool, and it'sleading to the regentrification of Kingston.
There's a game here http://playspent.org/ that takes you through examples of what it's like to live in poverty.
Funny, I just posted that site on another thread (the California family thread) It is really a pretty good way to illustrate difficult choices.
Are any of these nutrition information pamphlets routinely mailed out to folks in the SNAP program or handed out at food banks? I've volunteered at our local food bank several times and we did not have anything like that to give out. They will be getting that suggestion today. We could also post signs listing the most desirable food types for donation to help keep a proper selection on hand.
I like Cory Booker, he has style. I know it wouldn't be practical at all, but it would be very inspirational if the President and some of our Congressional leaders took up this kind of challenge (along with their families, of course). Participation at that level would generate a LOT of attention. I think creaker is right about anyone being able to slide by for a short period of time, but even so it can be an eye opener. The poverty boot camp idea would really wake a few people up, but that is probably a little over the top for our political leaders.
Cory Booker is quite the rock star. Except for that time he upset the Obama campaign by sticking up for venture capitalists in the midst of their demonization of Bain Capital last summer.
He and Governor Christie work well together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHN0ZeS5c-4
catherine
12-6-12, 11:14am
Alan, I've always LOVED that video.. Thanks for posting it!
Gregg,
That's a great idea! I think that if the food pantry put up the most needed items, it would be much easier for us to help out. DH and I often donated to our food pantry in terms of recipes. Each bag had the ingredients for a given recipe, and how many people it would serve. The pantry seemed to like this.
Later, our pantry actually created a recipe book with common food-bank items. It's a good recipe book, honestly.
Now maybe that would be the ideal SLF ticket -- Christie and Booker!
When I read about his grumbling about lack of caffeine, I wondered why he hadn't bought some generic brand tea bags. They are definitely cheap.
I watched a Frontline presentation recently on child poverty/hunger in America. Very moving, and so sad I went to the grocery store tonight and bought more food then I'd planned just to donate to the food drive at work.
One of the things that struck me was the many poor families living in motel rooms with not even a mini fridge or microwave - something we forget when we criticize their food choices.
Also reminds me of a local charity we have here - Homeward Bound - that works with families in a holistic way for a year. In other words, they bring every resource they can to get the family back on their feet. Free/reduced rent, job counseling, clothing, food, signing them up for benefits they are entitled to, financial counseling - all in exchange for a contract where the adults promise to abide by the budget that HB made out for them, to forgo illegal drugs, to attend the counseling sessions, to attend school or look for work, etc.
I think most of the families I watched on the Frontline program could have used that kind of safety net/intensive help for a year and then gotten back on their feet. Versus the sometimes piecemeal social work efforts that never quite get them stable and allow them to move forward.
Alan, I've always LOVED that video.. Thanks for posting it!
Pretty funny. I hadn't seen that before. Thanks for posting.
... We could also post signs listing the most desirable food types for donation to help keep a proper selection on hand.
...
This food pantry says give cash not food. I"m not surprised.
http://www.feedingamericawestmichigan.org/givefood/food-drive/
This food pantry says give cash not food. I"m not surprised.
http://www.feedingamericawestmichigan.org/givefood/food-drive/
It provides a lot more flexibility and bang for the buck- they mention working through a food bank. I've volunteered at the one in my area, it's really a large (like huge) warehouse - while they also get food donations from groups and cast-offs from stores and businesses, buying bulk wholesale is more powerful. Also, sorting and repackaging food donations is much more labor intensive. They also have refrigerator/freezer facilities which I don't think get used as much for food going home with families, but provides a lot more options for soup kitchen level stuff.
I think there is a huge misconception of what food stamps can buy. The problem comes when people don't know how to shop or cook from scratch. Too many processed foods and impulsive purchases. I often get annoyed when someone I know complains that they are hungry on the amount they are given and it's more than what I have alotted for food and they are feeding the same number of people I am. SNAP is a suplemental to help stretch grocery $. But even if you only have what your allotment is, you can still eat will and not be hungry. It's about choices at the store and how you cook.
I look at the numbers and while I don't quailfy for foodstamps (we make too much money) we don't have much left after paying bills (we only have our mortgage, utilities, and insurance. We carry no debt other than the mortgage), managing medical copays and paying for car repairs to keep our paid for older cars on the road. What is left for our food budget for two adults is $200-250 a month. Which is on par with what the woman and her teenaged daughter recieved. That $200-250 (depends on how many hours at work that month). covers food, paper products, cleaning supplies and personal care items.
I only cook from scratch. Our diet offers balance and variety at dinner time and we don't go hungry. Eggs and homemade oatmeal are our breakfast staples. Meat is an ingredient, not a main course. Rice, beans, lentils and barley make up a good part of our diet. I prepare a lot of hearty homemade soups and stews made with stock and loaded with veggies. The herbs that go into which I grow and dry myself for use all year long. I make my own bread and bake from scratch once a week as a treat. (pie, cookies, scones). If I purchase yogurt it's in a large container, store brand. I put it into my own smaller reusable container and top with some frozen berries to take to work for a lunch treat. I don't buy those individual serving containers. (waste of money and packaging). A piece of fresh fruit goes into our lunches everyday. (banana or apple). We often eat PB and J for lunch. (homemade jam, all natural PB. Homemade bread) or a light soup (herbed brocolli and pasta soup is a favorite). Juice is limited to a 6 oz cup in the morning at breakfast. We drink water (with lemon or lime in it, sometimes' I'll get oranges or have fresh strawberries in the summer and infuse the water as a treat. We also drink basic coffee and hot tea. Cocoa is a winter treat. (amazing with a a candy cane melted in and topped with whipped cream....but again it's a treat). Popcorn (store brand $1.20 for a 1 lb bag of unpopped corn) and pretzels (store brand at $1 a bag) are our most common snacks during the week.
and if I dare say, a bit of a hottie.
+1
miradoblackwarrior
12-7-12, 11:44am
I played with that site to see if I could make it. I did, but as I went through the choices, I kept coming up with alternatives that were not available choices. For example, invest in a used bike, invest in basic first aid supplies, etc. Reading everyone's posts tells me that a person in such dire straits will always find ways to adapt as best they can. Whether it's a bike, or roller skates for transport, or moving into Aunt Tillie's attic and living off of beans and rice, it is heartening that at least the people on this site know enough to work within their means and their resources.
Susan
What about people who had poor access to education, whose reading skills are low, little or no access to computers? Sure, it's nice of the govt. to print pamphlets and put out websites, but they are of very little use to the functionally illiterate! I was in a basic nutrition class last summer (requirement to graduate at my community college) where more than half of the class was from disadvantaged groups. My bench buddy could not read labels. I mean she simply could not comprehend the information. She was left sobbing hopelessly by a question that asked how much hamburger helper to use for six servings. She could not do the arithmetic. The poor feel dreadfully stigmatized by urgings to eat very differently to the rest of the population, and angry at being singled out for bad eating habits. Food advertising is all about belonging, being part of the in group, getting something tasty that everybody eats...somebody on this site mentioned not being able to get it right until she had made a massive spreadsheet. That takes education! But even education isn't always a panacea. When I was very poor, my good education and my knowledge of nutrition, my excellent reading skills, my ability to cook well, and my possession of a good fridge and stove, were completely trumped by one thing: Lack of Money.
iris lily
12-7-12, 12:10pm
What about people who had poor access to education, whose reading skills are low, little or no access to computers? Sure, it's nice of the govt. to print pamphlets and put out websites, but they are of very little use to the functionally illiterate! I was in a basic nutrition class last summer (requirement to graduate at my community college) where more than half of the class was from disadvantaged groups. My bench buddy could not read labels. I mean she simply could not comprehend the information. She was left sobbing hopelessly by a question that asked how much hamburger helper to use for six servings. She could not do the arithmetic. The poor feel dreadfully stigmatized by urgings to eat very differently to the rest of the population, and angry at being singled out for bad eating habits. Food advertising is all about belonging, being part of the in group, getting something tasty that everybody eats...somebody on this site mentioned not being able to get it right until she had made a massive spreadsheet. That takes education! But even education isn't always a panacea. When I was very poor, my good education and my knowledge of nutrition, my excellent reading skills, my ability to cook well, and my possession of a good fridge and stove, were completely trumped by one thing: Lack of Money.
Agreed, it's so much more than having the money. Having resources (reading skills, analytical skills, ability to plan and see consequences, having imagination to cook unusual things) trumps just money, but of course having money is the ultimate resource.
My response was to the person who wanted to know why the gooberment didn't provide information about eating/cooking. They do.
ApatheticNoMore
12-7-12, 1:12pm
Cooking seems in many ways pre-literate, it certainly is historically, long before widespread literacy and pre-formal math as well. How do you make a soup? About a handfull of this and a handful of that ... but it is a skill of it's own and in it's own right.
Of course figuring out what the total will ring up to at the grocery store takes adding. Money may be the answer but I really believe formal education is probably the answer to exactly nothing at this point. If even 6 years (6 *YEARS* devoted entirely to education in elementary school - do you know how much could be learned in 6 years devoted to nearly nothing but learning) couldn't teach reading and basic math, what can anyone do but throw up their hands? And that's assuming they dropped out after elementary school or something.
I had to take a Home Economics class in middle school that covered the basics of the meal planning/marketing/cooking processs.
Working with our local Family Resource Center and our Food Bank, I have observed that a fair number of the clients these days lack cooking facilities, food storage, time in their day to cook, or knowledge of how to prepare food from scratch.
I would agree that the ability to pull together a healthy meal that doesn't come entirely out of a box is truly a learned skill that takes time and effort to acquire (not to mention time and effort to actually do on a daily basis). When my mother passed away several years ago one of the biggest stresses in my father's life was eating. In his mid 70s he was having to learn how to prepare food for the first time in his life. He's intelligent, didn't have health problems or other issues that would preclude cooking, but nonetheless he never got much beyond a very rudimentary skill level (think scrambled eggs or spaghetti with jarred sauce) and ended up buying a lot of prepackaged stuff. About 3 years ago he decided to move to an assisted living facility, partly because his health is declining, but also partly because he wanted to end the stress of having to cook for himself.
Life_is_Simple
12-8-12, 2:21pm
Yeah, I follow Cory on Twitter, so have been reading about his SNAP challenge. People have been giving him tips on how to eat cheaply. Like, go for dried beans, he shouldn't have bought the $3.99 olive oil, etc. One night he wanted to eat a sweet potato, but had to save it for the next day, to make things last. He learned to eat smaller, frequent meals. He's also a vegetarian.
Plus, it takes a lot of TIME to make things from scratch, which is necessary when on such a tight budget.
Some of his twitter followers would say that when they were on SNAP, they had to buy cheap pasta, which made them fat - it's hard to buy fresh fruits and vegs cheaply.
Here's his latest update (http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20121208013204-86654142--snapchallenge-day-4-reflections-december-7-2012) <--- click there.
Today is the 4 day of my #SNAPChallenge and so far it has been the most difficult. I’m realizing more and more that my current daily food intake cannot continue at the same pace, and so my new focus is on smaller portions spread throughout the day.
This morning I had one apple for breakfast followed by a can of chick peas with seasoning and olive oil for lunch. My last meal of the day consisted of broccoli, cauliflower, black beans, corn casserole and a sweet potato which I ate in small portions between 2pm and 7pm this afternoon. I will likely not eat again until tomorrow morning in order to maintain enough food.
...
Despite all of these challenges I’m particularly inspired by the feedback I’m getting on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and #waywire from others joining me on this journey. I’m simply inspired by the people who let their voices be heard about their experiences growing up on food stamps, their experiences now on SNAP, and through their authentic voices dispel a lot of the misconceptions.
People's comments below are good too
Square Peg
12-8-12, 7:32pm
I had to take a Home Economics class in middle school that covered the basics of the meal planning/marketing/cooking processs.
Working with our local Family Resource Center and our Food Bank, I have observed that a fair number of the clients these days lack cooking facilities, food storage, time in their day to cook, or knowledge of how to prepare food from scratch.
My 8th grader has such a class this year. It is required. They just made a lunch for parents. They learned about making healthy food inexpensively. Next up they learn to sew.
That being said, I would not be averse to more restrictions on what foods people can buy with food stamps. I think WIC offers a very good model in that respect.
I know there are probably always going to be people who game the system, but I would rather there be a system that keeps people out of a totally devastating crisis situation than the alternative.
lhamo
Maybe instead of food stamps they could issue vouchers to pick up food for free from a food pantry. They government could buy healthier foods in bulk at greatly reduced prices and include simple meal prep pamphlets and menus in each box. So you'd get dried beans and instructions on how to cook them instead of canned. Bags of brown rice instead of instant white. Whole grain breads and cereals instead of pop tarts and white bread, etc... So you not only control what people spend their food stamps on so there is no gaming the system, you can get them to have a healtier diet too and make sure they and their kids have real food rather than mac and cheese, twinkies, chips and soda - or that food stamps aren't sold or traded for other things like booze or lotto tickets.
Maybe instead of food stamps they could issue vouchers to pick up food for free from a food pantry. They government could buy healthier foods in bulk at greatly reduced prices and include simple meal prep pamphlets and menus in each box. So you'd get dried beans and instructions on how to cook them instead of canned. Bags of brown rice instead of instant white. Whole grain breads and cereals instead of pop tarts and white bread, etc... So you not only control what people spend their food stamps on so there is no gaming the system, you can get them to have a healtier diet too and make sure they and their kids have real food rather than mac and cheese, twinkies, chips and soda - or that food stamps aren't sold or traded for other things like booze or lotto tickets.
That would kill the program pretty quickly - I'm sure the biggest proponents of food stamps in Washington are the businesses stuffing their cash registers with them every month.
ApatheticNoMore
12-12-12, 10:50pm
It's really too controlling, too micromanaging. What if they are just ordinary people hard up in this (some in any, but the recession has increased food stamp use a lot) economy? I'm all for everyone trying to eat healthier in general, but not that way (besides any such system becomes pretty corruptable of course).
JaneV2.0
12-12-12, 11:35pm
It's really too controlling, too micromanaging. What if they are just ordinary people hard up in this (some in any, but the recession has increased food stamp use a lot) economy? I'm all for everyone trying to eat healthier in general, but not that way (besides any such system becomes pretty corruptable of course).
Yes, unless we're trying to demean or punish people for being poor (an approach that appeals to some, obviously), they should be allowed to eat what they choose. Given its track record on this issue, I don't trust the government to decide what constitutes healthy food, anyway. The last diet that would be healthy for me would be a starchy Food Pyramid or beans and rice type plan.
I don't 'tweet' so haven't been following Booker's challenge. How's he doing?
Miss Cellane
12-13-12, 11:31am
Sometimes I work a temp job to supplement my freelancing. The job is at a large company that needs a lot of temps to quickly do large projects. It's a requirement of this particular job that you have a college degree. Many of the temps are regulars, because this job pays well above the minimum wage and temps are treated very well.
I've seen people stealing the tea bags to take home, because they can't afford the tea on their own. I've seen people start crying, silently, when the project finishes two hours early, because that's $25 they won't get that they were counting on.
There's one woman who is married with two kids. She and her husband are barely keeping up with expenses. He works 50-60 hours a week doing construction, when there's work. She works weekends as a live-in personal attendant for a woman with disabilities. She gets free food from Friday night to Monday morning, as she has to prepare all the food, but she has to eat what her employer likes, not what she likes. She has no time on weekends for food shopping or cooking for her own family.
In addition to the PCA job, she works retail, with a constantly changing schedule, and picks up any and all temp jobs that she can find. Baking her own bread? She's not home enough hours in a row to make it from scratch, and to use a bread machine, she'd have to find the money to buy one. Beans? She can use canned, but again, finding the time to cook them from scratch can't be guaranteed from week to week. Frequently, she is rushing from one job to another, and just picks up fast food because she is hungry, there was no food at home, and she needs to eat. When her husband is off work, he does the housework and food shopping and cooking, but when he is working, neither one of them has time for much beyond working, caring for the kids and sleeping.
She has a college degree, is literate, both reading and math, and is charming to talk with. But she and her husband are so busy trying not to fall off the gerbil-spinning-wheel that has become their life, that they can't stop to figure a way out. Yes, they could do more cooking from scratch, once they figure out how and when they can fit that in. It's finding the time to sort all the logistics out that they don't have. I also doubt they would have the energy to do a lot of cooking on a daily basis--they are both tired out when they get home. Again, that could be fixed with cooking a week's worth of meals over the weekend, but she lives elsewhere over the weekends, and her husband is acting as a single parent to two kids and shuttling them to activities and overseeing homework and working, if he can find any odd jobs to do.
And what I'm seeing more and more of, as I look for a full-time, permanent job myself, is that "part-time" jobs are now 30-35 hours a week, and you must be able to keep a flexible schedule, even for office jobs. That just makes it harder to work two part-time jobs at the same time. Finding multiple part-time jobs where the hours won't conflict with each other is getting harder and harder. And I feel that more and more jobs that used to be full-time are now called "part-time," with the hours reduced to 35/week, just so the employers won't have to pay benefits. The people on the edge are getting squeezed more and more.
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