For one of my classes, I was challenged to survive on only $25 for a week. While that seems like something super easy, and I thought it would be, it was way more challenging. If you did not buy soy sauce, ketchup, or coffee, you were not allowed to use or drink a drop of it for 7 days. The rules were you could not accept any free food from friends, family, or any clubs you were a part of. Also, you were not allowed to eat anything at a sorority event due to the fact you pay to be a part of it. Any food given at work was also prohibited.
When I went grocery shopping, I managed to get 2 loaves of bread, 1 pizza, a box of 5 rice baggies, butter, salami, chicken nuggets, and lastly ramen noodles. While this seems like a lot of food, it ran very tight for me. For breakfast, I always had toast with butter, occasionally putting salami on it since I did not have a large pack. My lunch was usually just 1 packet of ramen noodles. For dinner, I made 4 chicken nuggets and 1 baggie of rice every day. There was one day of the week I had an exam, so that night I decided to make myself the pizza.
I was so surprised at how hungry I was. I could not focus on class, I could not sit still, and I was so jealous watching anyone who passed by with food in their hand. The day the challenge ended, I had a bagel with bacon and 2 eggs, a real chicken noodle soup, freshly baked croissants, cookies, and I made myself tacos.
This was very much an eye-opening experience, and showed to me we truly need to be doing more for the hungry. Even if they have food stamps, these are not enough to feed someone in a healthy way.