Are You Ready to Take the Texas Food Stamps Challenge?

In Texas, one in seven people (3.6 million) rely on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as food stamps to feed themselves and their families. Congress is currently considering cuts to future SNAP benefits in order to fund other priorities.

The San Antonio Food Bank and Texas Food Bank Network are here to challenge you to eat meals next week based on the SNAP allotment.  With this Challenge, we hope to raise awareness of the difficult decisions faced by Texans who rely on the program, as well as demonstrate the real impact of the proposed cuts. Participants are welcome to share their experience via blogs, e-mails, etc., which will be aggregated via a Facebook group called “Texas Food Stamps Challenge.”

The Challenge:

Anyone can join the Challenge by filling out this form: http://j.mp/SNAPchallenge

For five days (October 25-29), participants will restrict their food intake to an average “food stamps diet.”

For the first three days, participants will spend only $4.50, the current daily average allotment. For the last two days, participants will be further challenged to spend only $3.70 in order to demonstrate the average effect of the proposed cuts. Participants will not eat previously purchased food or spices, and will be discouraged from accepting free food.

The goal of the Challenge is not to model or imitate the lives of Texans who receive food stamps – each recipient has different circumstances, and a different story to tell. We hope the challenge will illuminate some of the issues commonly faced by Texans who rely on the program, and raise awareness about the realities of this federal benefit.

So are you ready to take the Texas Food Stamps Challenge?