Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition

Part 1: Oklahomans and Poverty

These next four blogs will examine the diets of children from lower-income families with an emphasis on the SNAP program.

The recession has not overlooked our state, as we'd hoped it would. Not to say poverty didn't already exist here, but the numbers have increased and they're hard to stomach.

One in four Oklahoma children is living in poverty and half of all Oklahoma children are living in a low-income household, according to the Census Bureau.

In an effort to provide food for their families, more and more Oklahomans are enrolling for the state's SNAP benefits. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the federal Food Stamp program, is supposed to supplement the family's income by providing only a portion of the family's food needs. In reality, however, for the average Oklahoma SNAP recipient it becomes their one source for sustenance.

According to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, the average SNAP benefit amounts to only $28 a week. That's only $4 a day, for three meals!

As my earlier blog pointed out (and as I'm sure you well know), eating healthy is expensive. Centuries ago, weight was a socioeconomic indicator; extra weight meant you were wealthy. The inverse is true today, with increased risk of obesity among lower-income stratum.

So while hunger and obesity seem to be opposing problems, in many cases they are correlated.

“The number of Oklahomans receiving food stamps has reached an all-time high for the seventh consecutive month,” the Associated Press reported at the end of October.

The numbers? More than 625,000 Oklahomans receiving SNAP benefits in September. As for children? More than 30 percent of all Oklahoma children are in the SNAP program.

It's a great program and I want to make sure it's made clear that in no way am I criticizing SNAP. I have a friend who received SNAP benefits when he was a part-time teacher and a server in a restaurant. He definitely needed the supplement to his income and still raves about how much it helped at that time in his life to know he could afford groceries every month.

But he was a single man with no dependents. For some families, SNAP is all they have after they pay all their bills. When I learned this, I wondered, “How is it possible to meet the recommended nutritional guidelines with only $28 a week?”

This notion led me to the Regional Food Bank's SNAP Challenge- eating only food I could purchase with $28. Challenge accepted.

“The purpose of SNAP is to raise nutritional levels of low-income households causing an improvement in the general health of the nation as a whole,” according to the Oklahoma Department of Homeland Security.

Is it possible to eat healthy? Sure. But I've already done the shopping and I'm not so sure it'll be enough to satiate my hunger (which is enormous, let me tell you). But I guess that's the point, huh? Some Oklahomans can't just go grab a snack when their tummy growls with dissatisfaction.

“Our hope is that this challenge provides a shared understanding of the obstacles faced by Oklahomans who struggle to avoid hunger, stay healthy and find affordable nutritious food,” says the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

In the middle of Day 2 of the SNAP Challenge, I want to say I understand but I'm afraid I won't ever understand because I have the comfort of knowing in less than a week I'll be able to eat whatever and however much I want.