Last week I had the opportunity to sit down with Etienne Nemanishen and discuss how the welfare challenge that she partook in went. The welfare challenge is an activity that some members of group 5 decided to take on based on the fact that an average person on welfare only receives $26 a week for food. Etienne is a Nutritional Science major and based on her educational background she said that it was hard for her to meet her nutritional requirements for the week because she was not able to purchase as many fruits and vegetables as she hopped she would. She was only able to purchase a day’s worth of fruits and vegetables, which she consumed over the course of a week. All of her shopping was done at No Frills because it was the only thing she could afford.
Part of the challenge was to not add salt, spices and herbs unless you bought them with the $26 and to not accept free food from others. “It’s impossible to live on welfare without accepting free food” she said. She reported that she felt unsatisfied throughout the week and pointed out that if she did not like the food that she had cooked she didn’t have the luxury of making a new meal or freezing it for later, she had to eat what she made otherwise she would go hungry for the day. Other limitations and restrictions that she faced were no alcohol, coffee or eating out. But it was worth it as she got to challenge herself and gain the human experience.
The biggest hurdle that she faced was the low calorie intake and having little energy to get her through the day. “My friends would see how tired I looked and would offer to buy me food but I couldn’t accept.” Etienne’s productivity with schoolwork was hindered; she was tired most of the day and could not concentrate.
Now that you know your fellow classmates have taken the initiative to live in someone else’s shoes, will you?
-H