Food Stamp Diet Challenge

A few of my friends and I are taking part in the letter below.

Day 1 for me is Monday the 11th.

On Sunday the 10 I will go to the store with $21 in my pocket (though it may be only metaphorically, debit cards are awesome) and a calculator. I aim on eating balanced, so I hope to be able buy good carbs (wheat bread or brown rice), fruit (bananas are the cheapest out there and full of good nutrients), meat (whatever's cheapest, beef, chicken, turkey, doesn't matter), and vegetables (canned or frozen, whatever's cheapest). I may also buy the cheapest package of chocolate cookies I can find. For something sweet. I will buy what's on sale or generic, if that's cheaper than the sale. I will update every day on what I eat and drink for breakfast, lunch, dinner and how I feel.

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Dear Friends,
Can you live on $3 a day for food? This is the U.S. average food stamp allotment - that's $1 per meal. Hunger is a challenge facing many in the District - one out of nine people in the District faces a constant struggle against hunger. This is not acceptable in the capital of the world's richest country.

Join D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray and D.C. Hunger Solutions staff in participating in the Food Stamp Diet Challenge. This challenge was created to raise awareness of hunger in our community, as well as to demonstrate how difficult it is for households to afford enough groceries even with food stamps. While the Food Stamp Program is a great support for many struggling families, the benefits remain too low to allow a typical household to purchase an adequate, healthy diet. But, we have an opportunity to make needed improvements to the program. Congress is taking up the Farm Bill, which includes the Food Stamp Program, in June.

Representatives James McGovern (D-MA) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) called on their colleagues to participate in the food stamp challenge. Thanks to their inspiration, others across the country are mounting similar challenges. D.C. needs to be a vocal participant. By taking part in the challenge, you can focus needed attention on hunger in the District, challenges facing residents on a daily basis, and the need to improve the Food Stamp Program.

The challenge will take place the week of June 3rd to coincide with Hunger Awareness Day on June 5th. On Friday, June 8th we will ask participants to voice their support for proposed federal legislation which makes a real effort to end hunger by making a worthwhile investment in the Food Stamp Program.

The guidelines are simple: Participants can only spend $21 per week on food.

For more information on people's experiences around the country taking the food stamp diet challenge, see