Poverty Food budget
SNAP Challenge Assignment for SOWK 304
Many families in America struggle with food insecurity and poor nutrition due to lack of adequate funds.
The purpose of this assignment is to help you as a future social worker understand that struggle from a
personal vantage point and to identify ways to advocate for these families. Many of you may have faced
poverty at one time or may be currently on food assistance. If that is the case, you can choose Option 1.
For this assignment, you will have two options. Both are listed below. Please pick either Option 1
(Living on Food Stamps Challenge) or Option 2 (The Budget Challenge). For both options use the
table below to determine the maximum monthly benefit. Also, you will use the worksheet that is on the
Week 7 Discussion Board, entitled The SNAP Challenge Worksheet, that allows you to list grocery items
and menu for the week.
http://www.cbpp.org/research/a-quick-guide-to-snap-eligibility-and-benefits
HELPFUL RESOURCES
Here are some resources that might be helpful with Option 1 and 2:
Food Research and Action Center: http://frac.org/
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: http://www.cbpp.org/research/a-quick-guide-to-snap-
eligibility-and-benefits
Coalition Against Hunger: https://www.hungercoalition.org/snap
Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger: http://mazon.org/
http://www.cbpp.org/research/a-quick-guide-to-snap-eligibility-and-benefits
http://www.cbpp.org/research/a-quick-guide-to-snap-eligibility-and-benefits
http://www.cbpp.org/research/a-quick-guide-to-snap-eligibility-and-benefits
https://www.hungercoalition.org/snap
https://www.hungercoalition.org/snap
http://mazon.org/
http://mazon.org/
Feeding America http://www.feedingamerica.org/
OPTION 1: ONE WEEK LIVING ON FOOD STAMP CHALLENGE
For Option 1 you will agree to live on a food stamp budget for one week. You may do this as a single
person or for an entire family. Even if you have a family you can still choose to do the assignment based
on a single person if you wish.
Here are the rules of the challenge:
Using the SNAP benefits chart above, determine the maximum amount of money you will have to spend
on food for a week.
You must remain within the budget for the week so you will need to keep track of the money spent
on food each day, including the sizes and prices of food you use. If you make a mistake one day or
cant complete it just try again for the next day. If you have many infractions, make sure to write
about the difficulties in the paper.
All food eaten during the week must be included in your weekly budget, including eating out. Even
though eating out isnt permitted with most food stamp cards it is allowed for this challenge.
However, that money must included in your total expenditures.
You can only cook with food that you purchased for this project. This means that household staples
like oil, salt and condiments are not freebies. You must pay for those condiments with your
allowance.
You can accept free food if offered at work or from a friend or family member. You cannot solicit
help though. It must be offered not in relation to this assignment. If you do receive any free food,
you must make note of it.
Keep a record (like a diary) of all meals and money spent. This will be needed for the paper. Use
the SNAP Challenge Worksheet for this purpose.
Write a paper using the following outline. Make sure to respond to each step. This paper should be written
in essay format. Do not answer these questions using bullets. All citations should be listed in text AND
in a reference list at the end of the paper.
Introduction to Hunger (1-2 pages)
Who is going hungry or has food insecurity in America?
How many people are affected by hunger?
What are some of the short-term and long-term effects of hunger?
Use data and information from at least 3 sources. Sources may be peer-reviewed academic
journals, news websites (New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal are good
examples), a news website (60 minutes, PBS Frontline, etc) or from a hunger-related nonprofit
organization.
Challenge Details (1 page)
Present your weekly budget and food diary on the SNAP Challenge Worksheet that is posted on the
Discussion Board in Week 7. In this section of your paper, summarize your data from that
Worksheet. What did you buy, eat and budget each day? Include a shopping list with sizes and
prices for items.
Were you able to stay on budget?
http://www.feedingamerica.org/
o If you stayed on budget, what were some of the challenges and what were some of the secrets
to staying on budget?
o If you were over budget, what were the challenges and how did you resolve them? It is ok if you
cheated somehow. Just explain it here.
Challenge Insights (1-2 pages)
Why did you choose Option 1?
What were your feelings each day?
What was your level of hunger?
How did your hunger and budgeting impact your day?
Was your diet nutritious? If not, what was lacking?
How difficult was this challenge? What in particular was difficult?
Advocacy (1 page)
How do the concepts of social, economic, and environmental justice relate to hunger and food
insecurity? Be specific and address the three types of justice mentioned.
What policies exist that could or should be changed to decrease hunger?
Write about 5 actions you could take as a social worker to address an aspect of hunger or food
insecurity in America. Explain how these actions would be helpful and what change you hope would
occur from that action. At least one action should be on an individual level, one on a community
level and one on larger-scale macro level. Be specific about your actions. Feel free to use existing
resources as an example.
OPTION 2: ONE WEEK BUDGET CHALLENGE
Using the guidelines for the weekly spending allowance, plan a weekly menu that would not go over the
amount allowed. You will need to go shopping to price every single item on your menu. Remember you
may NOT count anything that you already have on hand. Everything that is needed to cook the menu must
be budgeted. Make sure that there are 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners listed on your menu. You can
use leftovers but enough food must have been previously cooked to justify enough for leftovers.
In addition, you will need to choose one other way to experience poverty during the week for one 24-hour
period, such as
Fasting for a day
Unplugging from ALL technology, including your cell phone, computer, iPad, etc.
Sleeping on a hard floor
Taking the bus, riding a bike, or walking wherever you need to go
Living without electricity or water
You can be creative with this piece, but it must be meaningful! If you want to run an idea by your instructor
feel free.
Write a paper using the following outline. Make sure to respond to each step. This paper should be written
in essay format. Do not answer these questions using bullets. All citations should be listed in text AND
in a reference list at the end of the paper.
Introduction to Hunger (1-2 pages)
Who is going hungry or has food insecurity in America?
How many people are affected by hunger?
What are some of the short-term and long-term effects of hunger?
Use data and information from at least 3 sources. Sources may be peer-reviewed academic
journals, news websites (New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal are good
examples), a news website (60 minutes, PBS Frontline, etc) or from a hunger-related nonprofit
organization.
Challenge Details (1 page)
Present your weekly budget and menu using the SNAP Challenge Worksheet that is posted on the
Discussion Board in Week 7. In this section of your paper, summarize your data from that
Worksheet. Include a shopping list with sizes and prices for items.
Were you able to stay on budget?
If you stayed on budget, what were some of the challenges and what were some of the
secrets to staying on budget?
If you were over budget, what were the challenges? It is ok if you cheated somehow. Just
explain it here.
In what way did you choose to experience poverty during the week? Provide details as needed.
Challenge Insights (1-2 pages)
Why did you choose Option 2?
What were your feelings about this challenge?
How satisfied would you be eating the menu you created for a week? Was it nutritious?
How did it feel to experience poverty in the way you choose?
How did this assignment impact you? Include thoughts about what you gave up for 24 hours. How
difficult was it to give something up?
Advocacy (1 page)
How do the concepts of social, economic, and environmental justice relate to hunger and food
insecurity in America? Be specific.
What policies exist that could or should be changed to decrease hunger?
Write about 5 actions you could take as a social worker to address an aspect of hunger or food
insecurity in America. Explain how these actions would be helpful and what change you hope would
occur from that action. At least one action should be on an individual level, one on a community
level and one on larger-scale macro level. Be specific about your actions. Feel free to use existing
resources as an example.
EPAS 2015
PLO 3/ Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
Practice Behavior 9: Apply their understanding of social, economic, and environmental justice to
advocate for human rights at the individual and system levels
Practice Behavior 10: Engage in practices that advance social, economic, and environmental justice. Social Welfare 304
Signature Assignment Rubric
PLO3 Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
EXEMPLARY PROFICIENT DEVELOPING EMERGING
Introduction 60
The content thoroughly
addresses all bulleted
prompts for this section.
Three or more appropriate
sources cited to support
information.
50
The content mostly addresses all
bulleted prompts in the
instructions for this section. Three
mostly appropriate sources cited.
44
The content partially addresses all
bulleted prompts in the
instructions for this section. Some
inappropriate sources or less than
three cited.
35
The content minimally
addresses all bulleted
prompts in the instructions
for this section.
Inappropriate sources cited
or less than three.
Challenge Details 48
Paper includes exceptional
detail on food consumed or
bought for the entire week
with no meals missing,
Detailed description of the
challenges is presented.
Material is clearly organized
and conveyed.
40
Paper includes some detail of food
consumed or bought for most of
the meals during the week.
Description of the challenge
includes a good deal of detail.
Material is mostly organized.
35
Paper includes minimal detail of
food consumed or bought for
some or most of the meals.
Description of the challenge
includes few details. Material is
somewhat disorganized.
26
Paper does not clearly detail
food consumed for an entire
week. Meals or vital details
are missing. Challenge is
barely described. Section is
poorly organized.
Insights 48
Section is thoughtful, deeply
insightful, and honest. All
bullets are thoroughly
answered with highly
detailed responses.
40
Section is mostly thoughtful,
insightful and honest. All bullets
are answer with some good detail
presented.
35
Section includes some thought
and insight but minimalistic and
basic. Most bullets are addressed
and there is some but not a lot of
detail in the section.
26
Section include little thought
or insight. Not all bullets are
addressed and detail is
severely lacking in section.
Advocacy 48
Paper included exceptional
detail and thoughtful ways to
address all three types of
justice. At least 5 action
items were discussed and all
related well to the topic. All
40
Paper included good thought and
detail to address the three types
of justice. At least 5 action items
were discussed although more
detail could have been added. All
bullets are addressed.
35
Paper included perfunctory
thought and detail, didnt address
all the types of justice or didnt
distinguish among them, Less than
5 action items listed. Most or all
bullets are addressed.
26
Paper didnt distinguish
among the three types of
justice. Little detail and
thought used to describe
advocacy efforts. Less than 5
action items listed. Not all
bullets are thoroughly
addressed.
bullets are addressed.
Writing and
Organization
36
Correct APA formatting is
applied throughout. Writing
is logical and organized.
Social work terminology is
used appropriately
throughout the paper. The
writing is free of errors in
grammar, spelling and
writing mechanics. The paper
is the specified length of the
assignment and includes
more than the required
number of academic sources.
All sources are correctly cited
in the paper and on the
reference page.
34
Correct APA formatting is mostly
applied throughout. Writing is
mostly logical and organized.
Social work terminology is used
appropriately throughout the
paper. The writing is mostly free
of errors in grammar, spelling and
writing mechanics. The paper is
the specified length of the
assignment and includes the
required number of academic
sources. All sources are correctly
cited in the paper and on the
reference page.
29
Correct APA formatting is partially
applied throughout. Writing is
somewhat logical and organized.
Social work terminology is
partially used appropriately
throughout the paper. The writing
includes several errors in
grammar, spelling and writing
mechanics. The paper does not
meet the specified length of the
assignment and is missing one or
more of the required number of
academic sources.
All sources are correctly cited in
the paper and on the reference
page.
24
APA formatting is not applied
throughout. Writing is not
logical and organized.
Social work terminology is
not used appropriately
throughout the paper. The
writing includes many errors
in grammar, spelling and
writing mechanics. The paper
does not meet the
requirements for length or
number of academic sources.
All sources are correctly cited
in the paper and on the
reference page.
