Eating healthy on a small and tight budget

A story on NPR caught my eye because having struggled through the Food Stamp Challenge, I wondered if having a recipe book like the one discussed in “Cheap Eats: Cookbook Shows How To Eat Well On A Food Stamp Budget” would have helped me not crash and burn at the end. I don’t know if I could have made many of the meals shown in this book on $20 a week, but still it’s a great effort to provide a how-to make healthier alternatives to what’s out there.

A SNAP Cookbook: Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown is offered as a free PDF download so even those with little income could go to a public library and print it out at no cost. It would be great if the cookbook also came in a responsive design web format. Even when people have little income and need SNAP, some have smartphones. Being able to download it to a phone and read it from there would be a nice option to have.

While this book can’t address all the issues related to hunger, I think it’s shows great initiative for those trying to find solutions.

Hunger in North Carolina

In my area there’s been a lot of discussion about food deserts, food insecurity, nutrition and health care lately. Something I learned is that organized  charities have become the default to feed people who are struggling instead of the nation addressing the policies and other underlying problems in society that are contributing to the situation. Through the Interfaith Food Shuttle along with WRAL and  Radio One – Raleigh stations, K97.5, Foxy 107.1/104.3, and The Light 103.9, this issue was discussed in depth for a week culminating in a media blitz and fundraiser using the hashtag #HungerFreeNC.

Viewing this documentary, A Place at the Table, is a great way to understand the big picture of who is hungry and why hunger exists in this country. It’s such a huge issue that our citizens tend to try to simplify it with trite stereotypes about who is benefitting from SNAP. When we stop throwing around the welfare queen image that most think of when they hear the phrase “food stamps” and really look at how hunger touches even people who are working jobs every day, we can begin to find solutions. It was truly enlightening to see how some government policies are contributing to the problem.

 A Place At The Table

Local Raleigh station WRAL produced a documentary focusing on food insecurity and hunger across North Carolina. The full documentary is available to watch on WRAL.com.

I’m excited that my workplace has taken up the cause of hunger and continues to hold various events throughout the year to help people in need. Today we’re gathering food for the BackPack Buddies and School Pantries program at the Interfaith Food Shuttle. This particular program focuses on not just providing food, but striving for the food to be healthier options, too.

The #HungerFreeNC conversation continues as we all look for solutions while putting a band-aid on the immediate need for food. Find out more at the Interfaith Food Shuttle website.