Introduction

Allow me to begin with a confession. Before embarking on what I believe will be one of the most richly rewarding experiences of my life, I was not predisposed to philanthropy. Sure, there were the annual charitable contributions (with the attendant tax-deductible benefits) but I was largely disconnected from the causes to which I chose to contribute. I gave money and moved on. I imagine this would align me with most people of my generation and means.

All of that, however, changed approximately one month ago when I had the privilege of attending a presentation of a local Baltimore Rabbi, Steve Gutow, who spoke about his involvement in poverty outreach generally and, more specifically, his participation in what is more commonly known as the Food Stamp Challenge. I had never heard of it before, but I found my curiosity piqued and decided I wanted to learn more. That investigation set in motion a chain of events that led to my family’s participation in the same challenge and, also, the writing of this blog.

 The purpose of this blog is twofold. First, to write about the experience of living on the budget of a food stamp recipient, specifically detailing the challenges faced. And second, to increase awareness of  - and support for – anti-poverty advocacy.

The challenge itself is fairly self-explanatory. Participants are required to commit to living for one week on the budget of a food stamp recipient. That equates to $31.50 per person for the week, or an average of approximately $1.50 per meal. Below are the specific challenge guidelines to be followed for the entire week:

1. Each person can only spend a total of $31.50 on food and beverages during the Challenge week - this translates to $4.50 per day, or $1.50 per meal.

2. All food purchased and eaten during the Challenge week, including fast food and dining out must be included in the total spending.

3. During the Challenge, eat only food that you purchase for the project. Do not eat food that you already own (this does not include spices and condiments).

4. Avoid accepting free food from friends, family, or at work, including food at receptions or coffee in the office

5. Please keep track of receipts on food spending and take note of your experiences throughout the week.

6. Share your Food Stamp Challenge by writing an op-ed for your local newspaper, blogging, advocating for feeding programs, and more.

7. Donate the additional money you would have spent on food during this week to a local food bank or anti-hunger advocacy organization (optional).

After discussing it with Stacie (my wife), we decided that we would do the challenge together as a family, inculding our soon-to-be 15 month old daughter Hailey. That would mean that we would have a total of $94.50 for all three of us for the entire week. We gave some thought to excluding Hailey from the challenge, but we both decided that, since a great many families with young children have no option but to survive on food stamps, an authentic experience required Hailey’s inclusion.

The details of our challenge (including our preparation) will be the subject of my future blogposts. The main purpose of this introductory post is to explain why the challenge and the cause for which we advocate, is so important.

I, like many others reading this blog, are both blessed and privileged to lead a very comfortable lifestyle. Within the confines afforded by that lifestyle, it is easy to forget that far too many of our fellow citizens are significantly less fortunate. More importantly, these are people for whom living on food stamps is a way of life; not just a one week challenge. The following information provides a backdrop to the extent of the problem we currently face as a society and what we can do about it.

Food stamps is the colloquial term for a federal program called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”). Any person or family meeting SNAP’s income and asset eligibility requirements  receives food stamp financial assistance. Though this program is predominantly administered by the states, all of the funding comes from the federal government.

According to its most recent figures, SNAP provides assistance to approximately 45 million Americans who live at or below the poverty line. The benefits of this assistance or not solely philanthropic. Without SNAP, those millions would not only have gone hungry but would have faced serious nutritional and other health issues. Were that to occur, the cost – both financial and societal – would be catastrophic.

As anyone paying even remote attention knows, our political representatives in Washington are currently involved in negotiations regarding deficit and debt reduction packages.  Anti-hunger advocates are deeply concerned that SNAP might be targeted for massive funding cuts or structural changes that could result in enrollment being capped and many struggling with hunger being kicked off the program. In fact, the recent budget plan passed by the House of Representatives calls for a 20% reduction in SNAP appropriations beginning in 2015.

In 2012, the total cost of the SNAP program (including both benefits and administration expenses) was approximately $78 billion, totaling only about 2% of the overall federal budget of $3.7 trillion. From my perspective that seems a small price to pay to help the least fortunate among us put food on their tables and feed their families. It is not difficult to imagine the devastating affect a reduction in SNAP funding would have on a great number of our fellow citizens.

This is a cause I believe in deeply and I hope and trust that many of you reading this blog will be as energized by reading about my experience as I was when I first learned about the food stamp challenge and the plight of many of our fellow Americans. And the good news is that there are a multitude of ways in which you can help.

1.       Contact your Congressman and/or Senator and ask them to protect funding for SNAP, especially during this very important period where our federal government is looking to drastically reduce spending by reducing or eliminating certain federal programs.

2.       Become an advocate for anti-poverty causes in whatever way you feel comfortable. Certainly, you can choose to raise awareness by participating in the challenge and making sure your friends and family know about your involvement and the cause for which you are advocating. But there are a great many other ways to support the cause and I encourage anyone interested to investigate and find the method that best meets your comfort level.

3.       Donate money. In addition to raising awareness, the food stamp challenge operates to raise funds for the cause. For those interested in offering financial support for the cause, I would encourage you to visit www.foodstampchallenge.com and make a donation to this very worthwhile endeavor.

 As Stacie, Hailey and I prepare to begin our challenge, we invite you all along for the ride. I will do my best to blog daily during the challenge week providing updates on how we are doing and the day-to-day trevails of a family of 3 subsisting on less than $100. Also, for those who are interested, I will be writing a daily column for the Daily Record (Baltimore's primary legal publication) also primarily for the purpose of sharing our experience. However, given the spacial limitations of a newspaper column, I anticipate that my blog posts will be significantly more detailed.

I also encourage anyone to post questions or comments which I will do my best to address as our challenge week unfolds. The Dubovsky family is committed to maximizing this experience as much as possible and we feel blessed to have such wonderful family and friends from whom we receive so much support and encouragement. Thank you all.