Hunger Action Week - Day 1 and Random Thoughts

So, here we are on Sunday – Day 1. So far, so good.

For breakfast we had baked oatmeal with honey and cream. It was unusual to all eat the same breakfast. Usually it’s just a free-for-all. Lunch for Alex and Pat was prosciutto/ tomato sandwiches and tortilla chips with salsa. Rachel had gluten-free macaroni and cheese purchased from Champion Foods for $1.50 a box! And dinner was roast chicken seasoned with olive oil, oregano and fresh garlic; potatoes mashed with cream; and kale sauteed in olive oil. The kids and Pat had a dessert of blueberries with cream. Sounds quite gourmet for $22.00 a day. I hope we don’t run out of food at the end.

I've found quite a few interesting blogs about Hunger Action Week and thought I'd post links. Here they are:

Cook Local

Family Friendly Food

Kitchen Sink Unplugged

Savory Sweet Life


There are more blogs on the United Way website, but these are the ones I seem to like best.

Having just started this week, and having tweaked the challenge using some of my own rules (which I'll explain later), I find the reflections of those people who have participated in the Hunger Challenge very interesting. Many reasons to do it, and many different approaches and outcomes. Some of the blogs have provided quite a lot of detail as to pricing out meals and such. I don't feel the need to do that. I'd rather focus on the big picture. And I can, because I am lucky enough to be able to afford anything I want to eat. Many people can not.

The main reason for our hunger challenge week is Rachel. She has wanted to do something like this before we even knew it was an official thing. I think it is an excellent exercise in understanding where our food money goes, where we can cut back, and exactly how much we generally waste (lots). And, hopefully along the way, it will give all of us more empathy with those individuals who really do have to eat on $7.00 a day. For us, it's a game. If we run out of food purchased for the challenge, guess what? We have a ton sitting in our pantry, just waiting for the week to be over. We are lucky. Many are not. Thank you United Way, for coming up with a way for people who can to understand just a little bit more about people who can't.