Will You Take the Food Stamp Challenge?

How much do you spend on coffee a day? Between that can’t-live-without double espresso at 8 a.m. and an afternoon refill or evening decaf on the ride home, it’s easy to rack up a caffeine tab of at least 10 dollars a day during a hectic work week. Now imagine having to live on a budget of $31.50 a week.

For more than , living on food stamps (SNAP) valued at $31.50 a week isn’t an option, it’s an invaluable resource they cannot live without.

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey is inviting the public to “walk in the shoes of the hungry” in New Jersey by taking the Food Stamp Challenge, beginning December 5.

“We are inviting all of the people in our community (volunteers, supporters, employees, elected officials, media etc.) to live on the average food stamp budget for one week ($31.50) and share their experience. While living on a food stamp budget for just a week cannot come close to the struggles encountered by low-income families week after week and month after month, it does provide those who take the Challenge with a new perspective and greater understanding,” representatives the FoodBank stated.

Visit http://www.njfoodbank.org/challenge  to find out more. One can also schedule an opportunity to visit a supermarket with a FoodBank staffer to see with your own eyes just how hard living on a food stamps budget can be.