From September 18-24, during Hunger Action Month, Feeding Illinois challenges you to live on $5 a day for one week. That’s the average Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit for an individual in Illinois. Try it for a week, a day, or even just a meal. It’s an exercise in empathy—a call to live in someone else's shoes for one week. By raising awareness of the barriers to accessing high quality, nutritious food on a food stamp budget, we hope to mobilize the public to end hunger in Illinois. Please join us.
Take the SNAP Hunger Challenge and join us in any of these ways:
- Participate – Spend just $5 per day on food or $35 a week, per person. Try it for a week or for just a meal - then share your experiences on our blog and on your social media pages. Register now.
- Create – Send us a recipe that helped you stay within your limit.
- Advocate – Get others to take the challenge - and urge them to contact their elected officials about hunger issues. Sign up here to become an advocate.
- Fill a Plate – Contribute to a member food bank, volunteer at a pantry or soup kitchen, organize a food drive. Consider contributing the amount of cash you saved by spending only $35 on food for the week. For every $1 donated, Feeding Illinois food banks provide enough food for 4 meals.
SNAP Hunger Challenge Rules
- Spend no more than $5 per day, $35 per week, including beverages.
- Don't use food already on hand unless you deduct the value from your weekly amount. Salt and pepper don't count, but all other seasonings, cooking oils, condiments, snacks and drinks do.
- Don't accept food from family, friends, coworkers and others.
- Try to include fresh produce and healthy protein each day.
- Keep track of expenses, food choices, etc. and share your experiences on Feeding Illinois’ blog.