Thoughts and Reflections

Well Monday morning has arrived which means that the Dubovsky family officially survived our food stamp challenge week. When it was all said and done (and once we factored in all our adjustments as outlined in yesterday's blog), we finished the week with $5.70 left in our $94.50 overall budget. While the week itself went pretty much how we thought it would go, we had some overall thoughts that we wanted to share.

1. The overwhelming majority of our budget was spent on necessities as opposed to anything that might be considered a luxury or an indulgence. There was the 69 cents that I spent on my 2 liter Safeway-brand soda and then a total of $2.50 on candy for Stacie and I to split over the weekend. I imagine that if we actually lived on a food stamp budget for any significant period of time, we would eventually become accustomed to foregoing such things.

2. One of the main things I noticed was that, whereas during a normal week we tend to have a decent amount of variety in our meals, our diet during the challenge week was much more monotonous. I lost count of the amount of pasta, mac and cheese, sweet potato, bread, peanut butter and soup we ate. In fact, Friday was the only day during the entire week when I did not eat some type of pasta and I know Stacie and Hailey weren't far behind. In fact, by Saturday, Stacie had officially sworn off sweet potato!

3. Another interesting aspect of the week is that even though our meals were less healthy than what we eat on a regular basis, both Stacie and I lost weight. It wasn't a lot in either case, but it was interesting because both of us work out a fair amount, yet neither of us worked out at all during the challenge week. So obviously exercise was not a factor in the weight loss. Personally, I would attribute it to eating fewer meals and smaller portions even though the type of food we were eating was less healthy. Either way, since we have plans to eat out tonight and tomorrow, and we are going out of town for the weekend to visit friends and family, I imagine that the weight loss will be very short lived!

4. Throughout the course of the challenge, I have also had a fair number of people e-mail me with questions and comments about the experience, many of which have led to my conducting additional research. This necessarily resulted in my becoming even more informed about some of the issues relating to the SNAP program and its various components than was previously the case. Not only has my research allowed me to obtain this better understanding, but it has allowed me to pass it along to you all which, hopefully, will itself have a lasting impact. In a sense, this blog has provided all of you an opportunity to live vicariously through us for the week. And if doing so has given at least some of you a different  - and more sympathetic - appreciation for the travails and obstacles encountered by those who rely on SNAP, then it has more than served its purpose.

5. From a more philosophical perspective, while I am certainly happy that we undertook the challenge because of what it represented and how we were able to contribute to a cause, I am very conscious that our entire mindset was to get through just one week. In that sense, I think that our experience was probably very different from what actual SNAP recipients endure. Surviving for seven days barely scratches the surface of helping to understand or replicate the actual experience. Still, as they say, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. What we did may not have been perfect or ideal, but I'd like to think that we still did some good and made a difference.

6. Having undertaken the challenge, I can look back and say that this entire experience grew into something a lot bigger than we anticipated or expected. Stacie and I were talking yesterday and we both said that we never envisioned that the entire concept would flourish to the extent it has. Not only have I been able to keep a steady group of followers updated through this blog, but I was provided the additional forums of a daily article in Baltimore's Daily Record and am also doing an article for the Baltimore Jewish Times which hopefully will be published in the next few weeks. This has allowed us to reach so many more people than we ever believed would be the case.

7. And, then, of course, there is the fundraising component. When we first decided to undertake the challenge, I set up a fundraising website. While setting it up, I was asked to include a fundraising target. I decided to be optimistic and said that we would try and raise $1200. Because of the incredible generosity and support of many of you, we have almost doubled that amount. That is an amazing accomplishment and we are so incredibly grateful to all of you who have contributed and without whom, it would have been impossible. For those who have not yet contributed but still would like to do so, please visit:

https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5145/c/627/t/13626/my/donate.jsp?supporter_my_donate_page_KEY=5203

In this holiday season, we should all take a few moments to think of those less fortunate than ourselves and pledge to do something to help. Thank you again to everyone who has given and will give. And even if you do not have the ability or inclination to contribute financially, there are other ways in which you can help:

1.       Contact your member of Congress 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.  Some of you have expressed an interest in participating in the challenge themselves, but even if you are not comfortable with that option, 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.

8. Finally, in some ways the most important part of this challenge is ensuring that our support for this cause does not end today. If all we did was participate in the challenge and raise money for the cause, it would certainly be commendable - but it would not be enough. For that reason, I pledge to continue what this challenge has started, which is to raise additional awareness of and money for, this very important cause. In the words of Shakespeare, "what's past is prologue." May it serve as a springboard to even bigger and better things.

The Dubovsky family participation in the food stamp challenge is now over. To be able to become involved in such a noble venture and to in some way give something back to society has truly been a privilege. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” When I think about the degree to which our lives have been enriched by this experience, I realize he could not have been more right.

As we conclude this experience and wrap up the blog, I want to again thank each and every one of you for your support and encouragement. As random e-mails and comments have come in, I have begun to appreciate how many people have actually been reading this blog and following our experience. That, in its own way, is tremendously gratifying and overwhelming.

Stacie, Hailey and I wish all of you and your families a safe, happy and healthy holiday season and a very happy new year and all the best for 2013.