Serving Bread

I picked up this story in the blog world (thanks to Boston Gal’s Open Wallet). Oregon’s governor, [tag]Ted Kulongoski[/tag], has taken on the challenge of living on a food budget of $21 for a week (which is the typical amount someone on a [tag]food stamp[/tag] has to spend). Connecting and understanding the lives of those who are limited on such a strict budget would presumably give the governor more data to make decisions that would alleviate the lives of the poor.

Rhoda, Layla and I aim to keep our [tag]grocery budget[/tag] at $100/week (which we have been successful at doing for the past 9 weeks). Our budget does include toiletries and miscellaneous household expenses. I am wondering what it would look like for us to limit our food budget to $21 a week (or $3 a day). Anyone up for taking the challenge together?

On further reflection, I appreciate what the governor is doing, but I hope that this is not just about identification. Experiences that identify us with the poor and/or that give us opportunities for empathy are not meant to be one-time events. I pray that the governor would allow this experience to translate not just into his life, but into his budget and policies for the state of Oregon.