A Different Type of Challenge
By Albert B. Kelly
With social media being
what it is these days, things tend to go “viral”. This summer, the hot item was
the “Ice Bucket Challenge”. For those of you who thought it was just about
dumping some really cold water on your head, it’s more than that.
The Ice Bucket Challenge is
about raising awareness of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) also known as
“Lou Gehrig’s Disease”. ALS is certainly worthy of attention and if the “Ice
Bucket Challenge” helps to raise awareness and funding for research-all the
better.
But there’s another
challenge that I think is worthy of consideration as well; the “food stamp
challenge”. Elected officials around the State have been taking the food stamp
challenge including State Senator Joseph Vitale, State Senator Raymond Lesniak,
and Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr.
If you’re not familiar
with the food stamp challenge, it’s trying to take care of your daily food
needs on $4.20 a day; which is what SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program) provides to qualified individuals. That comes out to a whopping $29.40
per week.
I am glad that some of our
elected leaders decided to take the challenge because it means that when they
make policy decisions, they will do so from an informed position. My hope is
that others might take the challenge as well; especially those who tend to
blame the poor for their poverty.
I know that some people find
themselves in poverty through their own bad choices, but that’s not most of
them. The majority of those who eat on $4.20 a day started life with a no
ball-two strike count and they’ve been behind in the count ever since. That
doesn’t include seniors, children and the disabled.
I can go on about what
most of them didn’t have in life; but that’s another discussion. The $4.20 is
part of a broader set of safety net programs that are lifelines for a lot of
people. I say that because some will point out that it was only meant to be a
“supplement”. True enough, but with deep unemployment and “under-employment”,
this assistance is often all there is.
Extended unemployment
benefits have been eliminated; only 26% of jobless Americans receive any kind
of unemployment, including food assistance, and these numbers are as low as
they’ve ever been. But $4.20 is not just about having enough food in your
stomach to avoid hunger pains; it directly impacts health and nutrition.
Is it any wonder that the
poor suffer ill-health from lousy nutrition? When fresh fruits, vegetables, or
a decent cut of meat are out of reach, what’s left is buying the cheapest thing
you can find and that’s often the processed stuff that’s killing them.
So how would you do on
$4.20 a day for a week or a month? It’s hard to know, but whatever else it may
be, it will surely be a learning experience. But if you decide to take the
challenge, do it honestly.
I say that because I can
almost see the cynic with their weekend circulars clipping mountains of coupons
for their nifty organizers before schlepping off to the grocery store. I’ll
concede that some can get $200 worth of groceries for free with coupons, but that
would make them stars on some reality TV show.
That’s not what we’re
talking about here. It’s people in survival mode who don’t have the wherewithal
to prove that point. Many don’t get annoying circulars, nor do they have nifty
organizers; it’s $4.20 and whatever that can buy.
I can’t imagine what
that’s like, which is why I’m going to take the challenge for a week and try
and get by on $4.20 a day.
I might not make it and if
you take the challenge, you might not either. But even if we don’t, we’ll be
better for having tried. At the very least, we’ll know better what it’s like to
live as our most vulnerable citizens do. Who knows, a few might even stop being
angry at the poor for being poor.
This challenge requires a
little more than a bucket of ice water and a towel; it requires a willingness
to step away from comfort and safety and into uncertainty. I’ll let you know
how I make out and if you take the challenge call the Mayor’s Office and leave
your name and number because truthfully, your insights matter more.