A week in other people's shoes

Sunday was the final morning of the SNAP Benefit Challenge - one week of eating utilizing $1.40 per meal, an amount that people on SNAP Benefits (previously called food stamps) must do on a every meal, every day basis. 

In looking back at the week, and the small glimpse into what hundreds of thousands of people across the state call reality, I was struck by how much I have to be grateful for.

The difference between myself and people in poverty is largely life circumstance. I grew up with two parents, I never had to worry where my next meal came from, I was able to go to college without taking on too much debt, and I have always had a support system. The support system component strikes me most.

Throughout the week, I did eat like someone on SNAP Benefits, but nothing else in my life reflected the lifestyle that many people receiving these benefits live. I had reliable transportation, a flexible and good job that I could be a few minutes late to, without reprimand, if I hit traffic or had to deal with a situation at home. I had reliable housing, heat during cold nights, and ultimately, I had the choice to step away from the challenge at any point in time. A choice that isn’t part of the equation for people receiving SNAP.

Was it hard? Yes. Did it make for difficult coffee meetings and work receptions because I couldn’t accept free food? Yes. Did I long for the moment I could have a cup of coffee again? More than anything else. I have to admit that after a week, I was more than ready to be done and start living my life the way I like to live it … which makes me feel like a privileged jerk.

Every time I wanted to cheat, I also wanted to smack myself.

The reality is hard, but I didn’t really live it.

I realized that one can live on food stamps without going hungry, but to do it in a healthy way is a tall order. I usually base my meals around fruits and vegetables, but during the challenge, I had a couple bananas, some corn, and a little broccoli and cauliflower … all week. I wasn’t eating junk food, but with a diet heavy in grains and light on veggies, fruit, and protein, I felt tired and lethargic.

I spoke with a half dozen people who have been or are on SNAP benefits, all with a story to tell. Some of their sentiments are below.

• You wonder why people in poverty are overweight? Look at what you can buy with food stamps.
• I cry when I go to the grocery store because what I now spend in a week is more than we used to spend in a month when I was growing up.
• I used SNAP as a supplement because I had other resources and family support.
• SNAP Benefits got me through a really hard time, but you can’t live off of them for long.
• My family grew up in the projects and my mom refused to be on food stamps – she had too much pride for it. It speaks to the stigma of poverty and hunger, that she wouldn’t take it, even when we really needed it.

My glimpse into life on SNAP Benefits was merely that. A glimpse. A minor, unimportant glimpse. I do hope the dialogue and education continues. If we don’t talk about it, how can we begin to untangle the issue and begin to make a difference?

As we all move forward with our normal lives, let us not forget that this way of life is a reality for many.

Let us remember that when we vote that we have power to elect people to deal with social issues that create such ripple effects as hunger does.

Let us remember compassion and understanding – and how to extend it to others.

Let us remember that we have the power to create change, to share important issues, and to empower others.

SNAP Challenge

The SNAP Challenge: "Could you feed yourself three nutritious meals a day with only $4.56? That’s the average amount 500,000 Coloradans are receiving from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Thousands of our neighbors subsist on such a budget for themselves and their families through their SNAP benefits. The federal nutrition program, previously known as food stamps, provides households with the financial resources to purchase groceries—literally putting food on tables for millions of American children, adults and seniors. Many families survive entirely on the food acquired through their SNAP benefits, which affords $31.92 per week to the average recipient in Colorado. What if that’s all you had to spend on groceries?"

The SNAP Challenge. My friend, my boyfriend, and I decided to embark on this effort to gain a small glimpse into the way that hundreds of thousands of Coloradans live each day. 

As I started to reflect, I realized that it’s trivial in many ways. This experience will not give me any idea what it's really like to live on SNAP benefits. I know that, and I'm not pretending that I'll walk away from this experience being able to relate. Jonathan, Ben and I all embark on this week knowing that we have family and friends who have used SNAP benefits. And that’s kind of the point. None of us are far from hunger. Children sitting in classrooms. Working parents. Young professionals. Farmers supporting our commerce. 

Hunger is very real in America.

Honestly, I struggled with whether to share this challenge publicly. Yet, to not share it seems to miss an opportunity to start a conversation that - if enough people want to do something about - may actually change a current reality. 

When I first started learning about hunger, it blew my mind. How is it that we have more than enough food in our country, but we have so many people who are hungry? How is it that when I feel like a latte at Starbucks and grab one, I spend more on my afternoon pick-me-up than people are able to spend on an entire day of food in the SNAP program?

Where do we even start to create change when 15.7 percent of Denver residents live at or below poverty, and there are only 27 affordable housing units for every 100 low-income families?

My hope is that together we can begin to tear down the stigma of hunger and those experiencing hunger, and begin treating it as the real issue that it is. 

I invite you to join the conversation - to share what you know, to learn, to act, to empower others to do the same. 

So for one week, it's $1.52 per meal ($4.56 per day / $31.92 per week) - something that is a reality day-in and day-out for many people and families in Denver. 

SNAP Benefit food purchase #1 - $21.88.

I went straight to the inside aisles. I looked for deals everywhere and didn't shop fresh foods. I tried to get a mix of things that would have some nutritional value, but ultimately ended up substituting healthier options I might usually get for less expensive brands that have added sugar and additives or hydrogenated oil. A juxtaposition that hit me: my usual natural peanut butter is about $7.50, and the generic brand (with fully hydrogenated oil) was $2.99. I wanted to save some money in case I ran out later in the week. 

A change for those who have been changed

We all remember certain days in the history of our world. Days when everything changed.

We have awoken to the unbelievable headlines and horrifying images on the news - images that stick with us forever. 

It has been a heartbreaking year of natural and physical disasters. 

For the people - countless people - who were personally impacted, we have no comparison to the scars of those days. From victims and their families and friends, to first responders, to those who were spared the physical hurt, but not the experience they can never un-live. 

I've spent much of the time since the Las Vegas mass shooting lost in thought for the thousands and thousands of people who will never get to live their lives the same again. People who had absolutely no choice but to be forever changed. 

We can be there for those people to the extent we can, but perhaps the best way to honor the life-changing impact those individuals have gone through ... is to change ourselves. To make a conscious effort to be inspired by the incredibly selfless acts of individuals who have gone through more than any of us can imagine. 

During the recent hurricanes and floods, people put their own well-being aside to help others. In Las Vegas, amid active gunfire, people took the hands of people they didn't know and tried to get them to safety. So, in our daily lives, who are we not to follow the actions of these brave and incredible people?

Who am I then to not let someone over in traffic just because I didn't leave for work early enough? Who am I then to not give those closest to me a break when they have had a hard day and are cranky with me? 

Who am I then to not help a stranger whenever I am able - to give of my time and talent through volunteering, and to donate to groups relying on outside support? 

Who am I then to not smile at people on the street? 

Who am I then to not try to be the best version of myself each day?

We will continue to mourn and to show our support, but perhaps the biggest ongoing impact we can have is to also remember the power we have to make this world a better place, each day. We have the personal power to change, and to make changes that honor the people who have no choice but to be changed by these tragedies. 

Perhaps we make this not only a day when everything changed, but a day when we ourselves decided to change.