Hunger Challenge Guidelines

The Hunger Challenge participants will be keeping updates of their experience and insights throughout the challenge on the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Blog and their own sites. Please check back often and share your thoughts and encouragement with them.

In the Challenge you will get a feel for how a person receiving CalFresh Benefits (formerly the Food Stamp Program) would deal with daily eating on a budget of about $4 a day. We’ve listed some guidelines to follow so that we are all on the same page and following the same rules.

The challenge will take place Monday, June 11th - Friday, June 15th.

Download a printable version of the guidelines here.

Hunger Challenge Guidelines

• The budget for the five-day challenge is $ $22.30, or $4.46 a day. If there is more than one participant in your household, you may pool your budgets. All participants must be over the age of 15.
• We will be counting almost everything you put into your mouth. Please try to resist the free food you come across i.e., donations in the employee break rooms, food provided at meetings/conferences.
• All food and beverage consumed during the week must be recorded in a daily log (see handouts below)
• Condiments such as mayonnaise, butter, oil, vinegar, creamer will not be included in the $4.46/day budget
• Send any thoughts on your experience in the Challenge to lsherrill@foodbankccs.org to be included in our blog.  It’s okay if you do not finish the week on the budget; we still want to hear from you!

Tips

• The USDA recommends that CalFresh recipients buy raw ingredients whenever possible, to maximize their benefits. However, you can plan your meals however you choose: eating at home, eating out, buying food for the week, or shopping multiple times during the week.
• There are no restrictions on which or how many stores you can utilize, but all food eaten during the week needs to be included on your shopping and meal logs.

Resources

Shopping log
Meal Log

Are you ready to take the Hunger Challenge? Fill out this form and we will keep you up to date during the week of the Challenge.

Can’t take the Hunger Challenge?

Consider making a donation to help us feed the 132,000 people in our community who are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Your $20 donation allows us to provide 60 nutritious meals in our community.