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Six Days Into Food Stamp Challenge Cory Booker Sounds A Bit Bored Of Sweet Potatoes
By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 10, 2012
Modified Dec 10, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 10, 2012
Modified Dec 10, 2012
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Newark's "Rock Star" mayor Cory Booker said he would go a week living on the equivalent of food stamps and that is exactly what he has done. But six days into the "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Challenge," the potential New Jersey gubernatorial candidate is clearly, and understandably, discovering that eating on roughly $33 a week is not easy—and it sure can be monotonous. Not to mention frustrating if you keep going to fancy events with the likes of Wendy Williams and Victoria Gotti where you have to politely decline gratis grub.
Turning to his Linkedin profile (got a problem with that?) Booker wrote of the challenge this morning:
Today is my 6th day of the SNAP Challenge; my 6th sweet potato; my 6th day of canned beans; and, my 6th day of canned veggies. I still like those foods but I found myself craving some variety. I realize when you find food on sale or buy in bulk, you can end up eating a lot of the same thing over and over.
Some of the people contacting me through social media have shared stories of people buying junk on SNAP or worse abusing the system. Well, after one week eating a SNAP equivalent diet I can't blame someone for buying something as a "treat" or sweets to break up a diet a bit. Also, I know that folks on SNAP don't always have an abundance of wholesome food available to them and end up consuming many empty calories. The fraud and abuse issues do exist but are often overblown or exaggerated.
As my food supply dwindles, I am keenly aware that millions of Americans face food insecurity and hunger on a daily basis. I am deeply concerned, and believe our nation needs to be more attentive and engaged. The SNAP program is at great risk for budget cuts as Washington pares federal spending to avert a year-end fiscal crisis. These cuts to SNAP funding could mean millions of more Americans - families with children, families with elderly and veterans - will live with less food, less options, and less hope.
While we sort of doubt that this is actually the first time that Booker has learned many of those lessons, we will credit him with using this challenge to bring a whole lot more visibility across the Interwebs to those living on a tight food budget. Beyond his Linkedin posting and constant stream of tweets, the mayor has also taken to YouTube to talk about misconceptions of about SNAP:
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cory booker
food stamps
new jersey
newark
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poverty
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Garth Johnston
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