The Food Stamp Challenge: Social Awareness, or Feel Good Vanity Project?

Recently, a family in South Africa moved into the slums where their housekeeper lives, to get a better sense of understanding of how the poorer members of their community survived. It met with a variety of responses from advocates for the poor ranging from appreciation for their actions to criticism and a feeling they were exploiting the very group they were trying to help. The ongoing SNAP challenge, which has seen celebrities and high profile politicians attempt to live on a $4.50 a day food budget, has faced a similar response.

I traditionally have mixed feelings on this as well. But then, recently, the game changer came in when Panera CEO Ron Schaich took the challenge. His experiences are documented here.

Schaich asks the hard questions, as one of the members of society who has "made it". While he seemingly has long held these values, the stark reality of just how meager $4.50 a day is appears to have made him more determined to work to fight hunger. As he states in the article:

Throughout my SNAP Challenge, I kept returning to the same questions: What kind of society do we want to live in? Do we want to live in a country that turns a cold shoulder to the problem of hunger, or one in which we work together to face it head on?

It's easy to criticize; far harder to find solutions. While I have no doubt there are some self serving celebrities taking the challenge, I also have a fervent belief they will reap what they so. The goal of most progressives is not to impoverish the wealthy, not to redistribute the wealth, but to make the wealthy more aware of their social responsibility and the power their wealth gives them to be game changers against social inequities like illiteracy, hunger, and housing.

In other words, our struggle is not against your desire to live in opulence; our struggle is against the reality of the poor living hopelessly and in desolation. And if the SNAP challenge encourages more of those wealthy to become socially aware and work to be game changers, I'm all for it!

Hobo's List Update

I didn't realize just how long it had been since I posted here until I was looking at this blog in the interest of submitting it for a project. It's been, put simply, too long.

I'm hoping to work on revamping things moving forward, and making changes so that I can begin working towards the next level. But to do that, I will need help.

From the beginning, it's been just me. And since I began this project, we have moved, changed jobs, set up a new house (and lived two months out of a hotel in the transition process)...all to create a better life for the family. And it's been beneficial, and it's been worth it. But it has also led to neglecting a lot of important things.

If you're interested in this project, in growing it and moving forward, please email me at: handofjustice42@hotmail.com , and I would be happy to have the help. I have some great ideas moving forward, but could use help in bringing it all together.

God bless, and have a terrific year!