What happens when the food runs out???

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empty-fridge.jpg

It's times like these that make us wish we'd asked you to sign a release waiver before participating...  All joking aside, by no means does this Challenge ask you to go hungry if you run out of food or money.  We ask that your participation serve as an opportunity to both reflect and share on the challenges faced when living on the CalFresh budget.  The examples below illustrate just a couple of the real life challenges faced by more than 500,000 San Diegans who faced hunger last year. I am so hungry! I'm actually starved. So yesterday was a top ramen day and tomorrow is going to be a top ramen day. But I was just craving the raw fruits and veggies. So I took that extra money and spent it on today. Had two nice pieces of fruit and a small salad. Except I'm starved! It's only 5 and I don't have any more money on this budget to eat. I'm guzzling the water hoping it will help. I've figured out that cold water fills me better than room temperature water. Except it takes TONS of it. And, with the ice in the glass, you have to fill it more often (slight inconvenience). So I am really really hungry! And I'm posting early because I can't eat. I'm gonna go crazy on top ramens tomorrow:)

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Today will be my last day of actively participating in the challenge.  I came home today to discover the refrigerator door ajar.  Apparently the last person to close the door assumed it had closed all of the way, when it did not.  All of the food in the refrigerator was warm and no longer edible.  Since the majority of our CalFresh Challenge food was in the refrigerator, we do not have enough food to last the rest of the week.

Even though this was a large blow to us personally, luckily we have the funds to re-stock our fridge.  It also made me wonder what a family on SNAP benefits would do in this situation. This would be incredibly disheartening and scary if we were truly on such a limited budget.  So, I did a search for food pantries/banks in our area (Vista, CA).

  • Mira Costa Community College Food Pantry for students in need

http://catalog.miracosta.edu/studentsupportservices/foodpantry/

  • Palomar Community College Food Bank for students in need

http://www2.palomar.edu/pages/studentaffairs/home/policies/

  • North County Community Services  Phone: 760-598-7645
  • Brother Benno Foundation in Oceanside  Phone: 619-439-1244

It is a relief to know that there are so many food pantries/banks.  However, it is significant to note that many of them had stipulations or restrictions.  For example for some of the food pantries you need to be a student, for others you need to participate in their particular program, for others you need to be looking for a job.  Many of them also limited the days/times that food could be picked up

Even though I will not be able to blog regarding the food challenge, I will still blog regarding the difficulties of living on SNAP benefits through the rest of the week.