Turkey is a Thanksgiving staple, but not all families can afford to put it on the table. According to Hunger Free Vermont, one in eight Vermonters lives in a “food insecure” household that’s unable to consistently meet basic food needs. That makes them eligible for benefits through 3SquaresVT, a federal entitlement program that helps stretch family food budgets. “There’s about 100,000 Vermonters on the program currently,” says HFV’s Angela Smith-Dieng, “and about half of them are children.” The weeklong 3SquaresVT Challenge asks others to try to live on the average 3SquaresVT benefit: $36 a week for a single person, or $98 for a family of four. Smith-Dieng says a lot of people find it “eye opening.” “It’s a great learning experience for the whole family … It provides a good opportunity to talk about hunger.”
3SquaresVT Challenge: The challenge takes place during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, November 17-23. Visit hungerfreevt.org for more information and to sign up for the challenge.
This article was originally published in Seven Days’ monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.
This article appears in Kids VT, Novmber 2013.
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