Leaders experience hunger living on food-stamp budget

Friday, Sep. 26, 2014

OGDEN — Five local leaders participated in the SNAP Challenge Sept. 8-15, eating only what they could purchase on $4.50 a day – the per person amount on a food stamp budget. 

Marcie Valdez, Catholic Community Services Northern Utah director, invited the local leaders to take the SNAP Challenge (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) during September “Hunger Action Month,” so they could get a better understanding of the difficulties 50 million Americans face every day. The result was unanimous for the participants; the challenge was difficult and they were hungry the entire time. 

On Sept. 16, CCS hosted a screening of the documentary A Place at the Table, followed by the results of the SNAP Challenge experiences. 

“This documentary is powerful and highlights the hunger epidemic in America and here in our Utah communities,” said Valdez. “The film also shows what people can do to make a difference by advocating with local and state politicians. We need to try to increase benefits through federal nutrition programs to support low-income families facing hunger; $4.50 a day really isn’t enough money.”        

Ninety percent of all SNAP benefits are used by the 21st day of the month, “which leaves about 10 days for families to wonder where their next meal is going to come from,” said Maresha Bosgieter, CCS Northern Utah development director.

As part of the challenge, participants agreed not to eat anything already in their cupboards, or to accept food from anyone.

Brad Drake, CCS executive director, participated in the challenge for three days, he said. “I couldn’t take it any longer,” he said. “My experience was brutal. I could not eat nutritious meals and I was continually hungry; food was always present on my mind.” 

Like Drake, Rosie, an elementary school student profiled in the documentary, is always hungry.

 “Sometimes my stomach aches and growls and I feel like I am going to barf,” said Rosie, whose family receives food stamps. “I imagine the people around me are apples and oranges and then I can’t stop thinking about food.” 

As was pointed out in the documentary, “a child’s brain cannot fully development when it doesn’t receive proper nourishment,” said Gina Cornia, Utahns Against Hunger executive director. “Children cannot live up to their full potential when they are hungry.”

Jan Zogmaister, Weber County commissioner, also participated in the SNAP challenge, which she said was an eye-opening experience. 

“I couldn’t buy a lot of the fresh food that I eat. It changed how I shopped and how I felt about food; it changed my whole experience at the grocery store,” she said. “I found that I must eat a lot of food because on the menus I set up for myself, I was really hungry.” 

Mike Caldwell, Ogden City mayor, his wife, Cathrina, and their daughters Kalii and Chloe also participated in the challenge. Cathrina Caldwell often sacrificed half of her food for Kalii because she is an athlete in school and needs extra calories, she said. 

“It was a humbling and challenging experience,” said Cathrina Caldwell. “It was exhausting; how frustrating it must be for the folks who have to deal with this day in and day out.” 

Debbie Sparks, Logan Work Force Services regional director, also took the challenge, and “when I went to the cash register with my items, I was horrified with what I could come out with,” she said. “After the second day I found myself not feeling very well; I was weak, had headaches and nausea from not eating enough. The elderly don’t eat properly and often say they don’t feel well. I know now that part of their subsidized money is going for medications and not for food. This challenge made me feel grateful for what I have, and I will never be the same.”