Could you feed yourself on just $7 a day?
That’s the question the United Way of King County is asking our community this week, which has been declared Hunger Action Week, March 19th through 24th.
In the last four years, Seattle food banks have seen a 30 percent increase in the number of clients coming to them for help. At the same time, they’ve had a 31 percent decline in donations.
To help spread the word about hunger in our own backyards, the United Way is asking the community to try an exercise in empathy and try to eat on just $7, the maximum daily benefit for a person on food stamps. Do you think you could do it? What would you choose to eat? KEXP DJ’s and staff are taking the challenge, and they’ll be posting their experiences here on the KEXP Blog all week long.
• Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, spending only $7 per day.
• Don’t forget to factor in seasonings (except salt and pepper—they don’t count!), cooking oils, condiments, snacks, drinks and everything in between.
• Don’t use food you already own.
• Don’t accept food from family, friends, co-workers and others. Not even the free samples from Costco!
• Try to include fresh produce and healthy protein each day.
If you’d like to take the Hunger Challenge, you can sign up here at the United Way website. And share your experiences online at the United Way Facebook page, or on Twitter, using the hashtag #hungerfreeKC!
