Double dare you

I haven’t checked national numbers, but there was a story in a recent edition of the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that reported more than 500,000 Minnesotans receive federal food assistance. That’s about one in 10.

As of this morning – Nov. 1 – 169 people across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have decided to participate in the Presbyterian Hunger Program’s “Food Stamp Challenge.”

Can you live on the average, per-person food-stamp support in your state? In Minnesota it’s $3.86 per day. The average per month here is $115.91. Divide that by 30 (the number of days in the month), multiply the result by 7, the number of days in the week, and you get $27.04.

A couple of us – well, Sandy and I for now – have decided to accept the challenge. One week. Seven days. Nov. 17-23. Wait a minute. My birthday falls in there. That’s right, but that’s no excuse.

By the way, Minnesota has the lowest average, per-person food-stamp support of all the states. But we don’t pay sales tax on food purchases here – a bright note.

Getting involved is easy.

You go to this website to sign up. And you find the average, per-person monthly support here. As it says, “The Challenge simply means choosing for one week to live on the average amount of food stamp support.”

But it goes on to note, that the amount you can spend includes “breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, seasonings and drinks.” Did you ever look at the price of pepper? Do you know how much that artificial sweetener costs?

I’ve posted about it a couple – well, a few – times. In every place, be it Facebook or Twitter, someone replies that it can be done – you can live on the average food stamp allowance for your state.

I know it can be done. I’m not doubting that at all. Sandy and I will spend only $54 on groceries for that week. And we will survive. After all, it can be done.

But that’s not the point. The point is many of us have it pretty good.

Every morning I eat a bowl of Cheerios – at least two cups. That’s about 50 cents. I drown the Cheerios in milk. I go through about a quart of milk every 10 days or so. That’s about 20 cents per day. I drink a couple cups of coffee. We buy Caribou ground breakfast blend (hey, it’s good), but that’s about another 40 cents per day – just for me.

Once I get to work, about mid-morning, I’ll eat an apple. That’s about 50 cents. And for lunch I’ll eat a low-carb frozen lunch – oftentimes one of those mystery-meat selections. It’s about a buck a day.

Then, after lunch, I’ve used up $2.60 of my daily allowance.

I’ve been known to eat an apple or an orange for an afternoon snack. That would be another 50 cents and that would put me at about $3.10.

And I will only have 75 cents – well, 76 cents – left for dinner.

Let’s take a close look at dinner. My share – for one serving – of one of those boxed meals – you know, the box of pasta with secret sauce mix combined with  milk and hamburger – will be about 25 cents if the box is on sale for a $1. That’s figuring that we get four servings out of each box.

But I suppose I need hamburger and a little milk.

Hamburger, even on sale at $2.99 per pound, will be about 75 cents per serving. That’s a quarter pound of the cheapest beef (75 percent lean) per serving.

I’ll have to make sure we get four servings.

But I’m at $4.10 and that’s 24 cents (let’s say 25 cents) over the limit.

There go the two apples per day. We’ll check on carrots. A reasonable substitute?

I’m drinking water all week. There will be black coffee at the office.

We will spend $54, no more, on groceries that week.

It will cover everything.

Are you up to the challenge?

Consider yourself challenged. In fact, I dare you. No, I double dare you. No one should go hungry.