Pre-challenge: I already need a lifeline

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Feeding two people 15 consecutive meals for a paltry $50 is a daunting task – especially when one of those people is a 6’3” firefighter. But those are the rules of the annual CalFresh Challenge: feed yourself three meals a day, five days in a row, for just $5 per person. That’s the average benefit a person on EBT or “food stamps” receives.  October is Federal Food Month, and Food for All Mendocino – a coalition aiming to reduce hunger – is working with community partners to recognize and celebrate the federal food programs that support our local community. The coalition decided to bring the CalFresh Challenge to Mendocino, and I immediately volunteered to participate and document my experience.

I broke the news of the challenge to my partner, Carson, who accepted it with his typical good nature (I might have forgotten to mention that he can’t have a single beer all week because we can’t afford it). But since I was the one who signed us up for it, I was taking on the menu planning, shopping, and cooking. All he had to do was eat what I put in front of him, and hopefully not starve.

On Saturday morning, I made a shopping list and planned our menu for the week. The challenge hadn’t even started, and already I was feeling more aware of the struggles faced by those living in poverty: it seemed impossible to eat for so little. Plus, many people who receive EBT benefits likely work long hours, have kids, or both; or, they may suffer from physical or mental impairments. Who from those populations has the time and/or the ability to menu plan an entire week in advance?

When I decided to take this challenge, my goal was to eat as closely as possible to our typical diet, and according to our values if possible. We buy meat in bulk from local ranchers, which – if you have the funds and freezer space – is extremely affordable (about $4/lb for beef and $6 for pork). About 90% of our produce comes from the farmers market and our garden, and in the summer we freeze and preserve the bounty so we can eat bell peppers and peaches in January without spending a fortune on tasteless, out-of-season produce that's been shipped hundreds or thousands of miles.

I work with farmers, so it’s important that I put my money where my mouth is (literally). Food at the farmers market often costs less than at the nearest grocery store, you get to talk to the farmer who grew it, and it’s as fresh as produce can get, often harvested that very morning. I wanted to prove that eating locally can be accessible and affordable – that local vegetables can fit into even the scantest of budgets.

While menu planning, it was instantly clear that I would fail at that goal were it not for the Farmers Market Match Program. Even if the cost of a carrot is lower at the farmers market than at a grocery store, it doesn’t make much difference if you can’t afford carrots in the first place. The Match program makes local and healthy food accessible by literally giving away money to spend: every Saturday morning in Ukiah, an EBT recipient can get up to $15 per week in matching funds, for a total of $30 in “food stamp” money to spend right then and there on fresh, local food. Many other Mendocino County Certified Farmers Markets match $10, including Willits and Fort Bragg.

Originally, I hadn’t planned on using this $15 lifeline. But when I looked at the budget and the cost of rice and beans was barely covered, let alone spices or oil, I humbly caved – after all, if I were receiving EBT I would qualify for this benefit. I revised my budget to include $30 at the farmers market and $35 for everything else, for a total of $65 for the week (hardly extravagant).

Here’s what I picked up at the market:

While at the market, I made this disturbing discovery: the Farmers Market Match is almost out of money! It runs exclusively on community donations, and although a lot has been raised this year, there are many people who rely on the program so the funds go fast. For more information or to donate to the match program, contact the Mendocino County Farmers Market Association General Manager Scott Cratty: 707-462-7377 or cratty@comcast.net.