spenserstewart-blog

[spenserstewart-blog]

Post–Challenge: THANK YOU!

What did I miss? The biggest thing I missed was feeling healthy and energized. I could care less for a cup of coffee or snacking on some popcorn. I really just felt tired every day. You know what though? It was so worth it, seriously. Try this challenge!

I want to be honest with everyone. I entered this challenge feeling uninformed about welfare and food insecurity. I did not really know the wage of welfare, how common food insecurity is, and how important it is to use your voice to make a change. After doing plenty of research in order to build educational and descriptive blog posts, I found out some statistics about welfare wages that made me feel incredibly sad. I shared with you guys the fact that the welfare wage in 2017 could only be up to roughly $700.00 for one person in a month, You read that number thinking it is a lot of money, but if you pay rent, think about how much that costs for you. Now consider every other expense you have (phone bill, car insurance, etc.). Do you really think you would have any money left over for food? Humans need food and water to survive, so not being able to afford a basic human necessity is entirely unfair. Not to mention, I felt embarrassed on several occasions throughout this week that I did “not have the money” to purchase items that costed only a couple dollars. What I am trying to get at here is the fact that we need your voice. If you think you will not make a change because you are only one person, you are wrong. We need your voice because every single voice that is challenging the unfair welfare wages makes a huge difference. I am completely inspired by every one of my classmates that has done this challenge, demanding that the welfare rates be changed. It is so incredible to see young individuals working together to continue making a meaningful change in something that is so important. 

Take a look at this video I found. It talks about food insecurity, which is something that individuals on welfare often struggle with.

What are my takeaways from this video and this challenge? To be blunt, open your eyes. Really, just open them. People are out there suffering from food insecurity, and it is not just one or two people. OVER 4 million Canadians are experiencing food insecurity (Food Insecurity Policy Research, 2018). 

What can we do? Well, for starters, we can voice our opinions and real facts. I just voiced mine for everyone to see, so I encourage you to do the same. You can also donate to organizations that advocate for individuals experiencing food insecurity, such as an organization called Feed Opportunity, who’s mission is this, “We are seeking to raise the profile of this pressing social issue, advocate for critical policies and invest in programs required to make sustainable improvements” (Feed Opportunity, 2020, p. 2). 

I understand this is called the Welfare Food Challenge, but what we are trying to prove is that the wage of welfare is resulting in food insecurity, which means something needs to change. Something that I used to believe is that I could probably make a difference if I gathered up enough people to fight for a cause. After doing this challenge, I believe that my voice is powerful enough to inspire others to make a change with me. I have stopped worrying about what other people think because I believe so strongly that welfare wages need to be changed so that people can be food secure. I encourage anyone who is reading this to be brave with me and stand up for others.

Yes, I missed eating whenever I wanted to eat. Yes, I missed my healthy, nutritious meals. Yes, I felt tired and as though I had no energy. And yes, I complained about how difficult this challenge was time and time again. But something that might shock you is the fact that yes, I would do this challenge again if it meant standing up for others to make a change. No one ever said that making a difference was easy, but you knew that already. Instead of scrolling past this post and never thinking of it again, I encourage you to look up some facts about food insecurity because honestly, that is a huge start to making a change.

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to have such an incredible (yet challenging) experience. I feel like my perspective is completely changed. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for following me through this seven day journey. If you made it this far, I hope some of this has inspired you like it has inspired me. 

Be brave, stand up for others, and make a change.

Best wishes,

Spenser Stewart

References:

Feed Opportunity. (2020). Mission. Retrieved from https://www.feedopportunity.com/en/?skip=1#!page=understanding-food-security

Feed Opportunity. (2020). 4 million Canadians [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws50pndg6uA&feature=emb_logo

Food Insecurity Policy Research. (2018). Household food insecurity in Canada. Retrieved from https://proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurity/

[spenserstewart-blog]

Day 7

I thought I would get up today feeling completely starving with no energy at all since I was sick yesterday and I did not eat anything. That was not the case though. I actually woke up still feeling a little bit nauseous, but I decided to try eating anyway.

Breakfast – I decided to only have one muffin in the morning because I still did not feel great, but then I ended up not even eating it because after one bite I felt sick. I do not know if this is because I am sick of eating the same food over and over or if I was actually sick, but nonetheless, I skipped yet another meal.

Lunch – My body handled a smoothie! I made it at work and I felt so much better after I got something in my stomach. I feel like I should have just eaten yesterday and I would have felt better but I was worried I would be sick if I ate anything! This is my last day, so I want to finish strong...that means absolutely no cheating today! Tomorrow I will be so glad to eat a salad or a sandwich. Here is a photo of my smoothie!

Last smoothie of the week and probably my last smoothie for a very long time...haha!

Dinner – Alright, I was looking forward to this day for the entire week! Since I did not eat yesterday, I still had one sausage left. Guess what else I had? Mac n’ cheese! I was saving it for a time when I really needed a pick me up, but having it as my last meal of this challenge was even better. For dinner, I had one whole sausage with my mac n’ cheese.

I thought that this looked like heaven in a bowl. I was so excited to eat it because I knew I would be full and satisfied. I know, it probably seems so unhealthy, but unhealthy food is cheaper!

This was me right before eating to my heart’s desire. The funny thing is, I actually ate this so slowly (since that is what I taught my body to do this week) that I could not even finish it. I still had about a third of a bowl left when I felt full. I wanted to put it in a container and save it, but then I realized something. If I only had $21.00 for every single week, I would save this. The fact that I can spend more urged me to waste it and I know that sounds awful, but that is what I did. I could not give it away because it is a bowl of pasta I have already picked through, but I could have saved it for tomorrow. I learned to not waste and to utilize everything, but I just wasted a meal so quickly at the end of this challenge. To be fair, this (and a couple muffins) was the only thing I wasted all week actually. A third of a bowl of mac n’ cheese. I felt bad for scraping it into the compost though since I could have eaten it tomorrow.

As I sit here writing this, I am feeling two emotions. I am absolutely ecstatic to be done a challenge that felt as though it lasted a lifetime, but I am so incredibly sad that this is not just “a challenge” for many individuals and it truly does last “a lifetime.” How can I be happy to go back to my normal life when I know that a normal life for many means spending $21.00 on food? 

Stay tuned for my post-challenge discussion! I would love to share my thoughts and hear anyone else's :)

[spenserstewart-blog]

Day 6

Today I finished up my assignment and got it submitted. This was a huge relief for me because it was something I was worrying about. I packed up all of my things and headed back to Calgary so that I could work and be with my family until exams.

Unfortunately, I was feeling really unwell once I got back to Calgary. I had already skipped breakfast because I was not feeling well right in the morning, but I skipped lunch too because I was still not feeling well. I was feeling so tired and nauseous, so I rested and did homework for most of the day. Now, I am not sure if this was caused from the challenge or if I was beginning to get sick, but I did not have an appetite at all. 

The fact that I spent most of the day in bed gave me an opportunity to read some blogs written by individuals who have also given this challenge a try. Something I was constantly reading was the fact that, yes, people were cheating! Maybe that seems wrong, but to me it seems right. It seems like every person who does this challenge WILL cheat because our bodies are not getting enough nutrition. “It’s not even really hunger, it’s craving nutrition” (Kallstrom, 2017, para. 3). This statement really stood out to me because I am hungry, but more so I am craving to meet my daily requirements so that I can be healthy. If every person who did this challenge said it was easy and they did not cheat, then we would not be making a statement to invoke a change.

I was re-reading my past blogs and thinking to myself “I am complaining so much about every single meal I eat,” but I really am just being honest. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are becoming repetitive and they are not enough to satisfy me. 

I was looking into the welfare rates in Canada in 2017 and found that a single person considered employable can be granted up to $8,027.00 for the year (Welfare in Canada, 2017). That is less than $700.00 per month, which is roughly the cost to rent somewhere. I feel like having $21.00 for the food challenge is generous because if I were actually on welfare, I would not have enough money to buy ANY food at all. It is hard to imagine how unfair the welfare wage is unless you do a challenge like this or unless you are/have been on welfare. I would encourage every single person to give this challenge a try. It is difficult every day, but it changes your perspective a lot. 

Thank you for sticking through this post that included no pictures of food! Hopefully tomorrow I will be feeling good enough to eat something. 

References:

Kallstrom, S. (2017). Stephanie Kallstrom, day 1. Retrieved from https://welfarefoodchallenge.org/2017/11/02/stephanie-kallstrom-day-1/

Welfare in Canada. (2017). Welfare incomes across Canada. Retrieved from https://maytree.com/wp-content/uploads/Welfare_in_Canada_2017.pdf

[spenserstewart-blog]

Day 5

I woke up today feeling great, but I am sure that had something to do with my cheat meal last night. I decided I wanted to do some more research about welfare today, but I came across a link on the Welfare Food Challenge website. It brought me to a website called Pivot, so I began browsing. The work they do seems extraordinary and they embrace four main areas: police accountability, drug policy, homelessness, and rights of sex workers (Pivot, 2020). One of the big things I enjoyed reading about was the campaign called Housing Justice for All, in which there was this remark, “We cannot end homelessness in Canada while treating homeless people as criminals” (Pivot, 2020, para. 1). Now, I know this is off topic in regard to my Welfare Food Challenge, but I feel like this challenge is encouraging me to branch out and become more aware of social injustice in my country. For me at this point, it is not just about making the unfair welfare wage known anymore, it is about promoting justice in every area of people’s lives. I am coming across all of these disparities between social classes in my country and I want to do more about it. This challenge is only the start of a change I want to make in my life. I want to do more to support a movement and eradicate inequalities. 

Other than my research, here is how my day went!

Breakfast – I went all out on breakfast today! I had two bran muffins, an English muffins, and a slice of pineapple. It was great! 

Having a meal as soon as I woke up actually made me feel a lot better than waiting until I was hungry to eat breakfast. 

Lunch – I had another smoothie for lunch and I am actually finding myself getting full more easily now. Even a small meal is enough to fill me up, which is great because I was finding it hard to live out my life while I constantly felt hungry. 

A smoothie and Netflix, the perfect combo!

Dinner – For dinner I had couscous and sausage! This time I actually fried the couscous after I cooked it to give it a little bit of crisp, which made it taste better to me. I almost could not finish my dinner though, which was the first time this challenge I have not been able to finish a full meal.

Today was my best day I would say. I did not cheat at all and I felt good after all of my meals. I actually got a lot of work done today too because I felt full. 

I only have two more days to go so I am feeling really good about this challenge. I can imagine my social life being drastically impacted by this if we were not advised to practice social distancing right now because I would avoid seeing them since I cannot afford to buy a meal or a drink. My friends and my family are a huge part of my life and most of our time is spent eating together, which is something I cannot do right now. 

Mentally, I am still feeling tired but I think my body is slowly adjusting to this “new normal.” I know that it would negatively impact me to only spend $21 per week on food longterm, so thankfully that is something I do not have to do. 

Due to the COVID pandemic, soup kitchens and food banks are likely not open, so people are probably struggling even more right now. I think about my family and how I would be okay if I was on welfare because I have a lot of people who would make sure I had a hot meal every day. Some people are not that fortunate, which makes me sad.

I was looking about some statistics about food insecurity in Canada to get a better idea of what other issues people may be dealing with if they do not have adequate food supply. Researchers found the following consequences of food insecurity among Canadian citizens: 

“poor or fair health

poor functional health, or an inability to perform key activities due to health problems;

long-term physical and/or mental disabilities that limit activity at home, work or school

multiple chronic conditions

major depression

a perceived lack of social support, such as someone to confide in, count on, or go to for advice” (Government of Canada, 2018).

Some of the consequences that stuck out to me were “multiple chronic conditions” and “major depression.” If people are already struggling to pay for food and other bills, how are they supposed to manage their additional health concerns? They would have no money to buy medications or to go to special appointments. Not to mention, some people may not even be able to access a doctor depending on where they live. There are so many changes that we need to make in order to support every single person in living a healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally. 

Tomorrow is my second last day, so I am looking forward to it. Wish me luck!

References:

Government of Canada. (2018). Food insecurity in Canada. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-624-x/2015001/article/14138-eng.htm 

Pivot. (2020). Housing justice for all. Retrieved from http://www.pivotlegal.org/homes_for_all

[spenserstewart-blog]

Day 4

This day involved cheating, which made me sad, but I had to do it. Stay tuned to the end for my cheat meal.

Breakfast – It was about 1pm before I finally decided to eat breakfast. I find that I never wake up hungry, but as soon as I eat breakfast, I feel hungry. I was putting off eating because I did not want to feel hungry for any more food. I decided to eat two bran muffins that I warmed up in the microwave because it makes them taste better that may.

Lunch – I decided to skip lunch today so that I could drink a smoothie with my dinner. I was not feeling very hungry after eating breakfast so I thought I could hold off on having my smoothie until dinner time.

Dinner – I made a huge meal and it was amazing. I had a smoothie for my drink, along with couscous, sausage, and fried potatoes for dinner. That was the first time I have actually felt full from a meal since before this challenge started. I had my dinner at about 4pm, so I imagined I would get hungry again around 8pm but I thought I would be okay...turns out I was wrong. 

I was working on my assignment until about 9pm and I felt completely burnt out. I was working on it for roughly five hours and I had no energy left to do anything else. I decided to get up and get some water, but suddenly I felt very lightheaded. I faint really easily, which I was kind of worried about for this challenge because I did not want to be fainting all of the time. This was my body telling me I needed to eat, so I decided I had to cheat. I made some soup that I had in my freezer, which I made a few weeks back. I did not even feel bad after eating it though. I was so hungry and my body needed it. 

This is just a challenge, so if I desperately need food (like I did tonight), I can eat. People on welfare do not have that privilege. They seriously do not have enough money to get extra food. $21 is not enough, its just not. 

[spenserstewart-blog]

Day 3

Today was not a very great day for me and I am not ashamed to admit that. I want to be honest with everyone who is reading this: this challenge takes everything out of you. I still am feeling like I have no energy, but I am just about half way through this challenge! That is something to celebrate. I am trying so hard to be positive and to persevere until I am finished this challenged, but I am finding it really difficult. 

I want to bring to attention the COVID pandemic. In a time where I want to protect myself from contracting an illness, I would normally eat lots of nutrient-rich foods to support my immune system. The fact that I am doing this challenge makes that really difficult because my immune system is likely not being adequately supported. I want to include everyone who is experiencing food insecurity (not just those on welfare) when I say this: individuals who are not consuming foods that adequately support their bodies are more susceptible to consequences of COVID-19, because their immune systems will be severely compromised. 

Here is how my day went:

Breakfast – I worked an opening shift at Starbucks and did not eat until I got home. The muffins are starting to taste dry, so I wish I had bought butter or margarine to put on them. I decided to eat an English muffin with no butter on it because it was something different. I feel like I am tired all of the time because I am not getting the nutrients my body needs. It just makes me think how lucky I am that this is only a challenge, not my real life. 

Let me tell you, dry English muffins do not taste very great. I felt like I was choking something down with each bite.

Lunch – I made my boyfriend some pizza for lunch, which was not very fun because I wanted to have just one bite. I actually really appreciated my smoothie today though. I drank it slowly and it left me feeling satisfied.

I had a big assignment due this week in another class, so I decided to pack up my things and head to Red Deer so that I could limit my distractions. I thought that this might make me feel less tempted to take food that people keep offering me because I will not be around anyone for a while.

Dinner – I decided to make some couscous to see if it would make me feel any more full at dinner time. It was actually amazing and it was so nice to switch things up a little bit with this meal! I was working on my assignment most of the afternoon and after I ate dinner, I felt like my energy was restored! 

Unfortunately, today I noticed my hunger was really impacting my mood. I found myself becoming very irritated by the smallest conflicts because I was so hungry. We never really consider how food impacts our lives until doing something like this challenge. I feel like I am physically and mentally exhausted. 

Near the end of the night, this was how I was feeling. I was so done with the day. 

Tomorrow is a new day though and I know I will get through it! I am not doing this challenge for myself, I am doing it to prove to everyone else that the WELFARE WAGE IS NOT ENOUGH to support an individual. We want to encourage everyone to live healthy lifestyles, well how is that possible when some individuals have barely any money to spend on food? This is what is keeping me going throughout this challenge. I am doing this for everyone who is or who has been on welfare. Gerlings (2017) said “We will continue to campaign to raise public awareness about the inadequacy of welfare rates and the costs of poverty and eventually the government will have to commit to stronger action to END poverty” (para. 7). This quote is my drive. Let’s raise awareness to invoke change!

References:

Gerlings, K. (2017). 6th annual welfare food challenge. Retrieved from https://welfarefoodchallenge.org/2017challenge/

[spenserstewart-blog]

Day 2

I woke up today feeling like I had no energy. I feel like I am not eating nearly enough, or even the right foods to get my daily intake. According to Canada’s Food Guide (2019, para. 2), “Listening to and following your feelings of hunger and fullness can help you decide when and how much to eat.” I feel as though I am dismissing each feeling of hunger and replacing it with water so that I can feel full again. I worked an eight hour shift today and it was one of the slowest shifts I have ever worked. Not because it was not busy, but because I felt the day was dragging on since I was physically starving myself. This is not healthy; it is incredibly sad. I cannot imagine living like this every day of my life. I am doing this for one week, not forever, and I still feel like everything in my life is different because of it. Here is a quick review of how my day went:

Breakfast – I honestly was not feeling hungry until around noon, so I decided to hold off eating my two bran muffins until then. I wanted to wait as long as I could so that I would not feel so hungry as I waited for lunch and then dinner. My coworkers were all eating breakfast sandwiches and it was making me really hungry. I work at Starbucks, so we get drinks for free on all of our breaks. This break I only got water because I felt like it was cheating to get a drink, even though I really wanted one! Everyone was telling me to eat a sandwich or to buy some actual food, so it was really difficult to not give in. I told them over and over again to stop tempting me! 

Lunch – I got hungry again rather quickly, so I made my smoothie at work. I was, of course, still hungry after I drank it. I feel so grateful that water is “free” for us because it is what has been keeping me full throughout this challenge so far. I drank a bunch of water and started to feel better. I also gave in and allowed myself to have a free beverage on my break. I am not sure if this is cheating because it is free to me when I am working, but I just figured I would include it to hold myself accountable!

This drink was delicious by the way! I finally got the espresso my body needed, haha! 

Dinner – My mom made salads for dinner, but sadly not for me! I stuck to my fried potatoes, 3/4 of a sausage, and one slice of pineapple.

This was my kitty thinking there was enough food for the both of us! Silly Sully, there was not even enough food for just me!

Today I was faced with social pressure from my coworkers. They were having drinks and eating, but I could not because I did not have the money for it. It made me sad, but then I realized people on welfare go through this every day of their lives. They have no extra money for a coffee from Starbucks or a breakfast sandwich. It can really affect your social life because instead of catching up over a coffee, you have to save that money and stay home.

I am learning to appreciate every last bite. I am thankful that I got to have three meals today, even if they were small meals. A lot of people have nothing at all, or a lot less than I do. As hard as this challenge is and as much as I want it to be over, I feel as though it is a really humbling experience. I should not be wasting any food and I should be appreciating everything on my plate. I am thankful for this experience so far. I am excited to see what the rest of the week holds for me. 

References:

Canada’s Food Guide. (2019). Hunger cues. Retrieved from https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/healthy-eating-recommendations/be-mindful-of-your-eating-habits/hunger-cues/ 

[spenserstewart-blog]

Day 1

Breakfast – I started the challenge off strong by making my own bran muffins! The recipe called for the bran mix that I bought, along with water and eggs. I decided to cut out the eggs and see how the muffins turned out with only water. When I started mixing the muffin mix with water, I realized I had accidentally doubled the amount of water that I actually needed! This forced me to cheat on the VERY FIRST DAY, in which I stole flour from my pantry. I ended up making four dozen muffins, instead of two dozen. I decided to donate all of the extra muffins because it was the least I could do for cheating on the first meal of this challenge. 

The muffins turned out to be delicious, even though I had to adjust the recipe a lot! I grabbed two on my way out of the house to run some errands.

Lunch – I spent my afternoon cleaning my house. I kept putting off making lunch because I was busy with cleaning, but I suddenly felt super lightheaded so I decided it was time to eat. Honestly, when you get busy it is so much easier to go and pick something up. Instead, I went into my kitchen and whipped up a smoothie!

Looks can be deceiving. This looks like a big smoothie, but I was still starving after I finished it. I realized that this was going to be even more difficult than I originally anticipated.

Dinner – I was at my boyfriend’s house and they were about to sit down for dinner, so I had to leave. Even just the smell of food at his house made me hungry, so I decided to head home and make my dinner. I made sausage, fried canned potatoes, and a slice of pineapple. I only have five sausages for the entire week so all I could eat tonight was 3/4 of a sausage. I also drained the juice from the canned pineapple into another dish so that I could use it in a smoothie the next day. 

Voila! I actually finished my dinner feeling full, so that was a nice change! 

All in all, today went well. I have already learned so much, not to mention, I am already starving! This challenge has taught me two things so far...

1. Eat slowly and drink lots of water! I found myself feeling fuller if I complimented each meal with a full cup of water and if I consumed my food slowly. This gives your food more time to settle in your stomach, making you feel fuller more quickly. 

2. Be resourceful! You cannot waste a single thing. The pineapple juice from the canned pineapple could be used in a smoothie. I normally waste a lot of food without even thinking about it.

Day one is finished! Bring on day two!

[spenserstewart-blog]

2020 Welfare Food Challenge

Hi! My name is Spenser. I am both excited and nervous to say that I am going to be attempting the Welfare Food Challenge. This challenge allows you to only spend $21.00 on food for an entire week. According to Gerlings (2017), the monthly rate one individual receives while on welfare is $710.00. After all other expenses, this leaves a person with less than $80.00 per month for food (Gerlings, 2017). That means that each week, an individual on welfare can spend, at most, $21.00 on groceries. Does this seem like a lot of money to you?Imagine spending about $3.00 per day on your food. That would not even cover breakfast! I am pretty aware of the money I spend on groceries weekly, and I can assure you, it is more than $21.00. Dive into this challenge with me! What do you think about this challenge? Do you believe the rate of welfare is fair? 

The whole principle of this challenge is to raise awareness. We want to inform everyone that the monthly rate for welfare is completely unfair and insufficient (Gerlings, 2017). It is not enough money to support an individual’s physical and mental health. There is no room to indulge or spend a little bit extra to buy a treat. Each penny is used wisely, so let’s see how well I spend my pennies.

There are a few rules that you have to follow while doing this challenge. You cannot access food banks or charities; you cannot take food from neighbours or loved ones; and you cannot use food that is already in your pantry (Gerlings, 2017). Things that you never considered, like salt and pepper, cannot be used unless you buy them using your weekly allowance of $21.00.

I initially thought that I would do this challenge to prove a point. I wanted to be able to say that I could do this challenge without cheating, to show that someone really can survive on $21.00 a week for food. As I write this post, my thoughts are changing. I do not want to do this prove anything other than the fact that individuals on welfare cannot live out healthy lives with the amount of money they are given. I want to be someone who informs others about the health disparities going on globally. As I have learned in my Global Health class, countries are working alongside one another to improve health all around the world. This inequity, however, is happening in my country, in my province, even in my city. I want to partner with others and make a difference. I understand this challenge will be difficult; I understand it will test me, but these are the things that make a blog like mine worthy of reading. These are the things that provoke a change in the world. I am ready to struggle every. single. day., but I want this experience so that I can be another voice advocating for peoples’ rights.

I really enjoy cooking and baking, so I am excited to see what this challenge holds for me. I also try to eat fairly healthy as I am a busy nursing student, so I want foods that will energize me and make me feel good. I wonder how difficult that will be with only $21.00. I already have some ideas for the groceries I want to buy because I checked out a flyer from Superstore. They seemed to have the best deals when referring to the foods I wanted.

Here is my original list I went to the store with:

• potatoes, bananas, rice, eggs, lactose-free milk (this is considerably more expensive than regular milk, but my stomach is not forgiving of lactose), sausage, bread, and soup. •

I was actually worried to go to the store because of COVID-19 and the idea that many shelves are bare. I did not want to get to the store, only to find that everything I put on my list was already gone. I figured I would give it a shot and just make adjustments and compromises once I got to the store.

Once I made it to Superstore, the first thing I noticed was a shelf that had absolutely NO soup on it. This was the cheapest item on my list, a meal I would have at lunchtime every day, but it was completely sold out. The next thing I could not find was eggs. This was my breakfast. I honestly started to feel a little bit defeated at this point because these were two huge things on my list that were pretty inexpensive. I could have left the store and remade my list or I could have tried a different store, but I decided to take on this extra challenge. I stood in the store and tried to think of alternatives for the things that I could not find or afford. I made it out of the store with $20.78 less in my bank account, and I was proud of myself. This was my first accomplishment of the challenge, the first thing that would encourage me to keep going. Here is a list of the foods I bought, along with my receipt!

• one can potatoes, a box of couscous, a package of bran muffin mix (which was, thankfully, 30% off), one can of pineapple, one package of frozen mangoes, one box of mac-n-cheese (to satisfy my cravings so that I am not as compelled to cheat), one box of oat milk, six bananas, five sausages, and a package of english muffins. •

• This is a photo of me savouring one last night of feeling satisfied by my meals. I will post one photo for each meal every day with an update of how I am feeling. I am eager to start this challenge and I will likely soon feel eager to finish this challenge. Thank you for following me as I journey through this new experience. I hope this inspires you to attempt the Welfare Food Challenge, so that you too, can provoke change. Wish me luck! Here goes nothing! •

References:

Gerlings, L. (2017). 6th annual welfare food challenge. Retrieved from https://welfarefoodchallenge.org/2017challenge/