Phoenix Mayor Attempts To Live On A Food Stamp Budget

[tru_m.a.c]

When local activist groups challenged Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton to live on a food stamp budget for a week to mark Hunger Awareness Month, he took them up on the offer and found out just how hard it was. Stanton kept a diary on the challenge, which allotted him roughly $29 a week, the same amount 1.1 million Arizonans receive from the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP) each week.

By day four, Stanton noted that he was “tired” and “it’s hard to focus” after leaving the house for work without time to scramble eggs or eat a decent breakfast:

OK- ran out the door today with no time to scramble eggs or even make a sandwich. So I’m surviving on an apple and handful of peanuts, and the coffee I took to the office until dinner. I’m tired, and it’s hard to focus. I can’t go buy a sandwich because that would be cheating- even the dollar menu at Taco Bell is cheating. You can’t use SNAP benefits at any restaurants, fast food or otherwise. I’m facing a long, hungry day and an even longer night getting dinner on the table, which requires making EVERYTHING from scratch on this budget. It’s only for a week, so I’ve got a decent attitude. If I were doing this with no end in sight, I probably wouldn’t be so pleasant.

According to Stanton’s Facebook page, the city he governs ranks 34th-worst among America’s 100 largest metro areas in terms of hunger, and one-in-four Arizona children are food insecure. Across the nation, there are more than 46 million people receiving SNAP benefits.

Despite the challenges presented by poverty and hunger, Republicans have proposed cuts to the programs that help struggling families afford food. The House GOP budget could kick millions out of SNAP and hundreds of thousands of children out of school lunch programs, exacerbating the high rates of food insecurity America’s families are already facing.

Phoenix Mayor Attempts To Live On A Food Stamp Budget: 'I'm Tired, And It's Hard To Focus' | ThinkProgress

 

[88m3]

Well good on him for seeing what it's like I wonder if it will effect his view one way or another. If he has one...



We need to stop bullying the downtrodden

 

[Iamnoone]

big ups for trying it out, but he needs to try that out and feed a family on just that. 116 a month is enough to feed ONE person. You want be eatting the greatest shyt but you wont be hungry. but 29 a week for a family!?!?! the fukk is that

 

[daze23]

big ups for trying it out, but he needs to try that out and feed a family on just that. 116 a month is enough to feed ONE person. You want be eatting the greatest shyt but you wont be hungry. but 29 a week for a family!?!?! the fukk is that

well I think you get a little more loot if you have kids

 

[tru_m.a.c]

yeah its definitely a start

I always wondered why politicians didn't get paid the median income of their congressional district (super liberal thought)

 

[ugksam]

he's abusing the welfare system

 

[88m3]

he's abusing the welfare system

I'm sure he's just spending x ammount, not formally enrolled...





well if he's a Republican on the other hand...

 

[GoddamnyamanProf]

Nah Stanton is a Dem and a good guy. This is kind of a Supersize Me-type situation where he already was aware of the difficulties but wanted to do it to call attention to Hunger Awareness Month.