Comments for Utahns Against Hunger

Comment on Food Stamp Challenge by Camille

Camille — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:31:46 +0000

Not everyone can eat the cheaper foods to to dietary restriction it is more expensive for those certain foods. Besides if food is the one luxury they can get I am happy for them for them and their children that they can get good foods for them and their children

Comment on Food Stamp Challenge by connie

connie — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:36:00 +0000

Its hard to live on a fixed income i have been doing it for 20 years since i was hurt from a customer hitting me when i worked for united airlines. So the government expect you to live on nothing and you cant get an apartment or pay electric,gas,misc bills or even live on food stamps they give you.

Comment on Food Stamp Challenge by J Fortune

J Fortune — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:23:06 +0000

I am not in agreement with this.
If the people all eat the same types of food than this may work, but that is not reasonable.
Everybody needs different food sources. The States involvement should help their program with a food warehouse just for the people that need special pricing for food.

Comment on Food Stamp Challenge by Deb

Deb — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:38:38 +0000

Thank for all who have share their experience in trying to live within a $4.00 a day budget. I found it interesting that a couple of people believe the allowance should be lowered. However, because of misconceptions, they missed some very important points. Family food stamp allowances are not only based on income, but based on the number of children in the family. My elderly parents, who worked minimum wage jobs all their lives, and currently get less than $700 a month on Social Security, are lucky to qualify for food stamps. They get the whole sum of $36.00 a month for food. If it were not for food pantries, and my purchasing groceries for them, my parents would not have eaten some days.
While I will agree with Brandon that food stamp benefits need to become more efficient. It is the greed of people like Paul, who can go out and work a full time job in addition to going to school full time,[I speak from experience on this one Paul.. I went to school full time in addition to working a full time job and taking care of 2 young children and a disabled husband. We did not qualify for food stamps just because I was in school] who has the gall to make a statement that food stamp allowance should be lowered, yet are afraid to lose them because they will have to change their current eating habits and not be eating as well. I say this to Paul and Brandon and anyone else, if you feel the food stamp allowance should be lowered, then set the example. Stop spending the full amount each month.. Food Stamp program will see that you are not needing that extra money, so they will cut your benefits and give it to others who do need it.

Comment on Food Stamp Challenge by Paul

Paul — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:00:47 +0000

Me and my family have been living off of food stamps for years now. I am in school and almost done with medical school. The food stamp program has helped my family out tremendously. My kids eat well and are healthy because of it. My student loan burden is tremendous and this program has eased it a little. We eat better than anyone in my family. This food stmap challenge might show people that you will eat better if you are on food stamps. We get so much money that we don’t have to look at prices and we can afford fresh fruits, vegetables, and steaks. I am afraid to go off food stamps because we will not be eating as well. I think the food stamp allowance should be LOWERED! The way the welfare system is set-up, it encourages single mothers to not work and to make more money collecting welfare handouts. I can say this because I have utilized welfare and have talked to the many women I meet at the medicaid and food stamp offices.

Comment on Food Stamp Challenge by Brandon

Brandon — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 05:14:19 +0000

We are on food stamps and it’s ridiculous how much they give us! In my opinion food stamps benefits need to be cut and more efficient.

Comment on Food Stamp Challenge by Shelly Renick

Shelly Renick — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 09:25:05 +0000

In the 1970′s I remember a company (seems to me it was the company that makes Hunt’s brand) where you would fill out a form stating your food budget amount, ages and sexes of your family members, etc., and mail the form in. You would then receive a booklet filled with nutritional (basic family food) menus for I think a month based upon the answers you gave when you filled out the form. I used the menus, we liked the food, we were eating nutritionally, and we were full and satisfied. I think recipes were included in the booklet too. I wish the Food Stamp Program would be changed into a program to work with a booklet like this. I think a list stating what Food Stamp users could buy that would comply with this Booklet’s recipes would really help keep users healthy and well. I think Food Stamp amounts would have to be increased and they sure need to be.

Comment on Food Stamp Challenge by Jean

Jean — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:08:44 +0000

Oops, meant subconscious worry about ruining the food. If you’re unconscious, you’re not going to be fixing any food.

Comment on Food Stamp Challenge by Jean

Jean — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:14:46 +0000

I’m interested by the fluctuation between those that think the $4 per day is adequate and those who feel it’s too low. I noticed a trend in the comments that help shed some light:
1)Coupons-several people mention using coupons. If you’re on food stamps you’re probably not taking the newspaper so coupons in my mind are a way around the food stamp amount. And you wouldn’t always be able to get coupons from the neighbors paper-I’ve tried-sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t.

2) Transportation-if you don’t have a car or access to someone with a car, it really limits how much shopping you can do at any one time walking or using public transportation. It also limits the amount and size of what you can buy. You may end up with 5 lbs of flour instead of the 10 lbs you wanted to buy.

3)Ads-goes along with coupons and transportation. If you live close to only one store your options are much more limited especially if someone else lives next to a store with cheaper grocery prices. *cough* walmart *cough*

4)Time and experience cooking-As has been pointed out, many people on food stamps may lack the time to prepare food from “scratch”. They may also lack experience. How many people know how to soak dry beans in such a way as to reducing the “tooty” factor? (Soak dry beans with a little bit of baking soda for 16 hours, changing the water and soda once during that time. Rinse three times after soaking and cook until tender.)
Along with the lack of experience, there’s the unconscious worry about ruining what little food you have by aforementioned inexperience. So some people go into cooking from scratch with a lack of confidence right from the start.

It’s a good experience that most people should try but I’d like to add more experiences such as taking only public transportation for at least one week, working retail at some point in your life, living without health insurance for some time and getting sick during that time and wondering what to do. Those experiences still make you so much more grateful for the things you have versus the things you don’t have.

Comment on Food Stamp Challenge by Rachel X

Rachel X — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 01:56:45 +0000

Seven days of living on a food stamp budget was kind of tough work for me. The first day I was ambitious, I made a simple list to regulate what I can eat for this week. I got up at normal time, had breakfast abide the food list. However, I was starving earlier than usual. I went back home after class , and ate an apple as well as chocolate. Snacks always cost a lot, so I should save for my dinner. I boiled some brocoli for dinner without any sauce or seasoning,those tasted really terrible, but made me do not want eat anything. On the following days, I ate simple and cheap food, tried to avoid thinking of desserts and tasty food. Sometimes I ate some bread as snacks because they are cheap. Thursday was really a hard day. I had many homework, and need to take class until 9pm. Finally I persuaded myself to buy some regular food , ate slowly and carefully. Weekends were more easily , I got up until noon, save the budget for breakfast.
Before I took the Food stamp challenge, I thought it would be very hard to live on 4 dollars per day for food. When we did the simulation of Foot Stamp challenge on the class, I found many food I like cannot be taken in this challenge because of their prices. Snacks and desserts attracted me more than usual and I was always starving, nevertheless it was not that tough during the experience. Four dollars could buy more food than I thought, but they were not healthy. Unlike China, meat and fast food are cheaper than fruits and vegetables. People can buy more meat with same dollars than vegetables, more junk food than healthy food. It might can explain why the obesity rate in wester countries are higher than Asian countries.
When I was in China, I never make budget for food. I was born in a rich family, and also with the caring of my parents and relatives, I barely worried about what to eat for dinner, or eat less in order to save money. After I came to the United States, food and other things are much more expensive than in my country. I tried to save money on food , but I went to restaurant to buy instant food so I can slack off sometimes. The Food Stamp challenge gives me a chance to have experience to live on budget.
The food stamp challenge suggests people to procure nutritious items, avoid hunger , and stay healthy first hand. According to my experience, I think people should eat one fruit and one kind of vegetables, which will not cost too much , but provide enough nutritions to daily lives.

Finally, I think the Food Stamp Challenge has good purposes, they want to help low-income people , make everyone has equal lives. However, it is disrespect to poor people. The Food Stamp Challenge is more like we “play roles of “ poor people, and then discuss about how their live with only four dollars a day. I think farmers should be encouraged to grow food locally , in order to provide more organic and healthy food , with cheaper proces.