Survival On “The Poverty Diet”

This article originally appeared in the July 2010 issue of The Epigram .

Survival On “The Poverty Diet:” A JustFaith Experiment

By Mary Kaye Jacobs

Some lessons are best learned from experience. Intellectual exercises won’t teach you everything in life. Participants in the JustFaith nine-month program in social justice take part in face-to-face visits to corners of our city they may never have ventured into. And they experiment with other ways of living.

One experiment is called “The Poverty Diet.” Its intent is to see what it is really like to live on food stamps. The average amount of food stamp benefits is $93.33 per person per month, which gives that person approximately $3.11 per day or about $1 per person per meal.

Think about that for a minute. How would you have to change your diet and your way of shopping to live on $1 per meal per person in your household?

Barbara Roney, who has participated in JustFaith and The Poverty Diet experiment said, “I wasn’t successful.” Her 23-year-old daughter is a vegetarian and she said it didn’t work for her household because she decided she would “automatically have to give up fresh stuff” to live on The Poverty Diet. She waved the white flag and gave up the experiment on Day 1.

The experiment is for just three days, but Barbara looked at the numbers and at her customary diet and thought, “Oh my God, I can’t afford coffee.” Like many of us, she starts her day with a big mug of coffee.

Yet in July 2008, 642,244 persons in Kentucky received food stamps. They cover only food and beverages. They do not cover any hot foods, ready-to-eat foods, pet foods, paper products, soap or alcohol or tobacco.

Another couple took the challenge that year. They were able to stick to The Poverty Diet for three days, but could not afford any snacks, desserts or coffee. The diet “was pretty bland.” They bought 2 lbs. each of rice and black beans, half a dozen eggs, half gallon of milk, white bread (whole wheat was too expensive), a can of orange juice, a small chicken, two bananas, two apples, and a package of frozen spinach. They did their best not to cheat and use anything already in their pantry or refrigerator. Their experience of living in El Salvador gave them some creativity with the recipes.However, it took longer to prepare their meals which were fairly healthy, if bland.

To qualify for food stamps, a family of four must have an annual net income of $21,204 and many recipients are children and the elderly. The application is about 12 pages long and can take 5 hours to complete. Then the applicant has to visit the local welfare office at least twice.

Ready to accept the challenge of The Poverty Diet? Think YOU can eat on $1 per meal. Let me know how you do.

A few facts on poverty in Kentucky:

• the poverty rate for Kentucky in 2008 was 17.3 percent
• the poverty level in Kentucky has increased as of 2010, with some 80,000 families living at or below the poverty line
• a high percentage of these families have working family members
• fewer than 20 percent rely on welfare as their main means of support
• families with more than $2,000 in the bank or cash are not eligible for food stamps $1.00 per meal $3.11 per day