Today I have been thinking about a lot of things related to food and food preparation. I am participating in this challenge, but it is just that for me, a challenge to eat $21 worth of food in a week. At $610 per month for welfare, $21 per week is left for food. Once food and housing have been paid for, there is essentially no budget left for hygiene, clothes, transport; all needed for job hunting and living in dignity. Although rent for socialized housing is, on average, lower than the majority of rent in B.C., it is still costly. Renting a room does not mean conditions are clean, healthy, safe or equipped well.

I only have $21 to spend on food, but I have a comfortable home in which to store my food; I have a fridge, cooking utensils, equipment and time. My 5 years of nutrition education have equipped me with the knowledge of foods to buy that will best nourish  me on a limited budget. While every welfare recipient comes from a different background and situation, many do not have these luxuries for food preparation. How would I have purchased groceries differently had I not had a kitchen or cold storage in my home? What foods would I buy each week if I had no time or knowledge of food? These are all things that have crossed my mind today. While this is a challenging experience, mine is completely different than someone on welfare, and this is important to note.

I’m feeling more nourished today than I did yesterday; I have eaten more calories. I ate fried eggs with plain toast in the morning, and chili with rice for lunch. My snack was roasted chickpeas and a carrot and dinner was plain pasta with sauce. I hd a small amount of yogurt in the evening but I have to be careful. There isn’t much left and I want it to last me until the end of the week. Not much variety from the day before, but I have some fish to look forward to later in the week. My craving today is for sweetness.

Lunch today: rice with chili (mixed beans, plum tomatoes, carrots, onion and mushrooms)

Sign the petition at: https://www.change.org/p/christy-clark-raise-social-assistance-rates-in-bc