To Till and to Tend

By Danielle Sundstrom, COEJL Program Fellow

I recently took the Hunger Fast challenge, where I committed to live on a food budget of four dollars per day. My first step was to try to live on whatever food I already had in my apartment for the rest of this week. That would mean stretching my $80 worth of groceries over three weeks, or $3.81 per day. With all of the canned food in my apartment, I didn’t expect to encounter much difficulty with stretching the food out until Friday, when I went home for Pesach.

By Wednesday, I already had to add extra food purchases to my $3.81 limit. Although I had initially purchased a good amount of fruits and veggies at the market, I quickly ran out. I try to eat at least two pieces of fruit and two types of vegetables in a normal day– when I’m not taking on Hunger Fast challenges. This goal is decidedly impossible to achieve on a less than $4 a day budget. One day I had to splurge on a banana (50 cents!). Another day I made it to $4.31 before eating any vegetables. Eating healthy on this budget was quite an ordeal.

The Hunger Fast challenge has helped me to understand the everyday challenges that families relying on food stamps, as well as the populations around the world experiencing food insecurity as the result of extreme weather conditions and climate change. While it is possible to survive on less than $4 a day, it is clear to me that there is no guarantee to obtain the government-recommended nutritional requirements, or to even eat three meals per day. I have only had a taste of the reality that the Hunger Fast challenge is trying to help the average consumer understand, and each day I found that I was anxious about how I’d be able to afford a nutritious meal.

Interested in getting involved? For more information about this year’s Hunger Fast, go to www.hungerfast.org.

Danielle Sundstrom, COEJL Program Fellow

It’s Earth Day, and we’re living the green life! Not only is it beneficial for our natural environment, but becoming more environmentally friendly is economically smart too. So this year, consider the following Green Tips from COEJL, and try to work them into your new money-saving, eco-friendly lifestyle.

Reuse Use reusable items rather than disposables. Bring water bottles, shopping bags, mugs, utensils, plates, etc., to work and when traveling.

Energy Conserve electricity by unplugging as many surge protectors and appliances as you can while not at home, turn off lights in the work place and at home when not in use, and turn off computers and monitors when not in use. To save even more money, buy CFL eco light bulbs and other energy-saving appliances for your home and office.
Travel When traveling or commuting, opt to walk, ride your bike, carpool or take public transportation rather than drive alone.

Paper Go paperless when you can. Pay bills online, request paperless payments from work, try not to print unnecessarily, and send e-invites rather than paper invitations.

Water Turn off the water when washing dishes and brushing your teeth. When running the laundry and the dishwasher, wait until you have a full load in order to use less water per dish/article of clothing.

Click here to read why Earth Day is a Jewish holiday and here to read about greening your Passover.

Using even one of these tips to make a lifestyle change will make a positive impact on the environment and can save money too. Did we miss out on a great green tip? Leave us your favorites in the comments.

For more extensive suggestions and specific event and lifestyle greening, check out this guide from Treehugger.

Danielle Sundstrom, COEJL Program Fellow

Would you go hungry for a day to help those who go hungry every day?

As climate change affects nations around the world, food security is increasingly becoming an environmental issue as well. Despite being one of the richest developed nations in the world, poverty and hunger still threaten the United States. In America alone, over 50 million people live in food insecure households, and around the world, 925 million suffer from sever hunger and malnutrition. (For more stats like these, read about Tony Hall’s Hunger Fast goals).

Some members of Congress have pushed for cuts in anti-poverty and hunger programs both in the Unites States and internationally. The Hunger Fast is a campaign to protect vulnerable Americans from budget cuts, started in 1993 by then-Congressman Tony Hall. Hall fasted for 22 days in reaction to budget cuts that would have overwhelmed poor communities in America and around the world.

With Passover coming up, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs is planning Hunger Seders to celebrate the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, introduce the challenges our nation faces in regard to hunger and nutrition, and present opportunities for action and advocacy opportunities to combat hunger.

Reading the Haggadah every year for Passover reminds us to celebrate the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. The traditions that originated thousands of years ago tell us not to eat certain foods that were unavailable to the Jewish people while they were escaping slavery. Today when we observe Passover traditions, we change our normal eating lifestyles to understand the hardships endured by our ancestors. Different families and sects of Judaism interpret these traditions in a variety of ways. This Passover, we can further our understanding by participating in the Hunger Seder.

Want to get involved?
Here’s how: Go to hungerfast.org and check out the hunger fast challenges. You can opt to
• pray for or reflect on those afflicted by hunger at least once a week,
• join in on the fast and skip at least one meal a week, or
• live on less and limit your food consumption or spending to $2 daily.

I’m committed to the “live on less” challenge and plan to get even the smallest taste of what living on $2-4 worth of food a day is like. 2.1 billion people live on less than $2 a day, and families that use food stamps live on $4 a day or less per member of household. Considering how much a veggie sandwich is the average New York City café, I have to admit my nervousness with taking on this challenge. However, I am inspired by Ambassador Hall and the rest of the participants of the Hunger Fast. Leave a comment below to let me know how you’re participating.

Want to read more about the Hunger Seder? Check out these articles:
Using the Seder plate As A Call to Action
End, Don’t Extend, the Scandal of Hunger in America