And now for a different perspective on food...
CNN reporter Sean Callebs is feeding himself on $176 this month - the estimated amount he would receive if he qualified for food stamps. Income levels starting at poverty level + 30% qualify for SNAP (what the gov't calls what the rest of us call food stamps).
Anyway, Callebs has been updating readers here. I've been keeping up with it and learning quite a bit, as well as just trying to get another perspective on food and the economy.
Now for some emails. Sue writes in from South Bend, Indiana saying, "I just want to thank you for reminding me how fortunate I am. I had been taking my blessings for granted. I read your blog every few days and have actually become more conscious of my food spending and more importantly food waste." I am right there with you. I am curious what this is going to be like for me once this project ends. I can't watch people walk in and out of Whole Foods without doing quick arithmetic in my head, "let's see broiled chicken, bread, energy drink, salad, oh, he's easily dropped $24."
I know I've done that ! If I was on food stamps, that would have been FIVE DAYS worth of food, not just dinner. And, save for farmer's markets - which we're fortunate to have year round in California - forget organics (for the most part, Sue, I'm sure you'll have something to add here!) - and potentially a lot of fruits and vegetables. If you're eating so you don't feel hungry, you're going for calorically dense - not necessarily nutritionally dense (yes, there's that fiber keeps you full argument...).
Anyway, check out the blog when you've got time. If I was more budget savvy, I'd track how much I spend on food in a month... but I know for sure that it's >>$176.
1 comment:
you should read what Sharon Astyk says about food stamps in Vermont. sharonastyk.com
In Ithaca, at least, you can use food stamps at the Farmer's Market. And any time the farmer's market is open (as in April-January)the farm can take food stamps. In theory, someone could pay for their fruit share with food stamps. I know at least one person wants to pay for her vegetable share with food stamps (if they can wait until farmer's market reopens, they may be able to do it, but the veggie CSA is a collective so works a little differently). There's also a Low Income Farm Share Program, which subsidizes CSA shares for those meeting income requirements. There isn't room for everyone who needs it, but a couple hundred people a year qualify for half-price CSA shares (they can pay on a monthly installment plan, so don't have to front the $200 in May). It's a great way to offer plentiful fruits and veggies (organic, even) to people without large budgets. My CSA also offers home delivery, so personal transportation is not a requirement (though the farm is directly on a bus route, and people often bike there).
I agree that it's absolutely insupportable to buy commercial organics at Whole Foods or some other high end retail outlet. There's NO WAY I could afford to do that, and we have a reasonably generous. I have friends who spend upwards of 1500 a month on food. We spend too much - probably 6-800, and I'm trying to cut it down. The weekly CSA box is $25, we spend $16 on milk and yogurt though a coop, and I trade for eggs. Each year, we buy half a lamb and a portion of a cow for the freezer. And of course we have the fruit CSA and everything I've canned in the summer.I'm trying to make it so that I don't have an excuse to wander around the grocery store once a week like I used to. If I just don't do in ,there's no reason for me to supplement what we already have coming in most of the year. We occasionally need to buy pasta or dry beans, or eat yogurt faster than usual, or tortillas, or whatever, but in general, I try to stay away from the grocery store.
I think the problem with the cost of organics (and produce in general) is one of access and education. Sure, I can eat on the cheap (and Lucy and Chaw really eat on the cheap. They're grocery bills are teeny and they eat REALLY well), but I live in an agricultural area and have connections with local farmers, so I can buy direct. Very few people are in such a situation. I also know how to cook, and how to use my raw produce to make meals but also things like jam, sauerkraut, chutney, and all the other things that quickly add up on the grocery bill. And I'm shameless about asking people for seconds or thirds if it looks like they'll otherwise be wasted (composted).
There's an organization in town that is trying to educate people about food preservation - they hold workshops on canning, lactofermenting, drying, root cellaring, and freezing. I think we've all been told how DANGEROUS it is to can things at home for years that people are terrified that they'll get botulism from their jam. I think if we spend some time educating people on culinary hygiene, they'll be much less intimidated by the process.
Ok, clearly this is an issue that i have a lot to say about...
One last thing - at the NOFA-NY conference, many many of the farmers discussed a desire to work with local organizations (like to school systems) to make organic produce and meat available to underserved communities. They would LOVE to be able to work with school lunch programs (which would seriously improve the nutrition of kids who get 75%+ of their food at school), and would be willing to be flexible on price. So the desire to help is definitely there, bureaucracy is in the way.
Sorry to not call you back - Wolfie didn't go to bed until 10. Blech!
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