maintaining a foodstamp budget while feeding your family wholesome, nourishing and unrefined foods

source: nourishedkitchen.com
Jenny of the Nourished Kitchen blog has given herself a sizable challenge: for the month of October, she is going to feed her family of three a healthy, whole-foods diet while keeping within a $227 foodstamp budget. The challenge guidelines include purchasing fresh food ONLY from EBT-accepting grocery stores—not from food banks, CSAs, farmers markets or using staples from her own well-stocked pantry. Throughout the month of October, Jenny will post every Monday detailing her experiment, and will offer downloadable shopping lists, menus and recipe guides for those who want to join the challenge.

In reality, families can get more than the allotted $227 per month, and the government assumes that the family will supplement the food stamp budget with their own money. There are also some farmers markets and CSAs that are now accepting food stamp vouchers, and some food banks serve organic food. But Jenny chose the low budget and restrictions to make the challenge, well, challenging.

She says (in the comments section of her blog post):

The USDA has a grant-making program for Farmers Markets and one of their biggest pushes this year is to fund EBT machines for markets nationwide. We’re going to apply for a machine for our market next year. I think this is FANTASTIC. The next step, though, is to provide farmers markets in underserved, underprivileged areas.

I’m also in love with the WIC program. The FMNP (farmers market nutrition program) is run by the federal government and provides vouchers which can be supplemented locally to WIC recipients for use at farmers markets. Recipients usually receive between $10 & $30 a season – which isn’t much, but better than nothing.”

Here at Planet Thrive, we’ll be watching along with great interest. If Jenny is successful, no one will be able to use a limited budget as an excuse for a poor diet anymore. Bravo to Jenny for taking on this huge challenge!! …read the original blog post