How much do you spend on what you eat in a week? How about a month? For the average Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipient in Missouri, he or she lives on $28 a week or about $128 a month.
Often our work in health comm has centered on food policy and food security issues, from the individual level to the community, on up to policy change. Today’s launch of the movie A Place at the Table is continuing to raise awareness that many of us are dealing with food insecurity, or are at risk of being food insecure.
The movie is a rallying cry and an important effort to spark discussion about food insecurity around the nation. It certainly caused us to reflect on our work with communities and corner stores that offer EBT (electronic bank transfer) for SNAP recipients. In the footsteps of many Americans before us, we follow with our own #SNAPchallenge in honor of National Nutrition Month.
Our goal is modest: The HCRC staff will take the SNAP challenge for a week and report on our diets and outcomes. We seek to increase our understanding of the health challenges to families on SNAP; however, we acknowledge that this is only a glimpse into the reality of poverty. We are all starting out in good health, with safe homes, access to medical care and experience in public health, which is not always the case for many families walking this path.
Our guidelines are few:
- Spend $4 a day or $28 a week on food per person.
- Work on achieving a balanced, healthful diet.
- Eat only what is bought, not what’s stored in home pantries or office drawers.
Our journey starts next week. Join us!