Last week I started a two-week SNAP Challenge which entails eating on the amount of food stamps benefits a SNAP recipient would receive: $4.40 per day.

With Week 1 completed, I wanted to share some of my reflections on the experience so far. Below are some of my biggest takeaways from Week 1 and my daily SNAP journal:

END OF WEEK 1: KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. There is SO MUCH free food in spaces of privilege. So much. I’ve been feeling a really deep sadness this week around the issue of free food. How there is so much free food for the people who need it the least, and yet our society blames and shames people who actually need free food.
2. Eating on this type of food budget is hard, but for so many of our clients and DC residents, it seems to be one of the least stressful aspects of poverty. Imagining piling on additional hardships to this level of hunger makes my heart break.
3. What do you do when your food stamps get cut off? I’m trying to imagine if this $134 budget was suddenly cut to $0 because of an agency error. It’s unimaginable, but it is a frequent reality.

If you want to know exactly what and how I’ve been eating every day, and also what I’ve been experiencing every day on this challenge, check out my SNAP journal. I hope you’ll take a moment to read it and follow along during my last week of the SNAP Challenge!