Sasha's Final Thoughts

Hi!
I have missed a few days worth of posting, but it was for KITTENS!!
I had an awesome breakfast on Sunday. Guess what it was. Yes, WAFFLES! After waffles we went to City Hall to listen to a discussion about poverty. For me to sit on a couch for two hours, wasn't exactly fun for me, and afterwards my stomach hurt because I ate a lot after eating a little for days.

The challenge overall was surprisingly normal. Not much changed, just less food everyday. Now that we are back to normal, I think everyday in my head about the challenge. I remember everything I learned, and everything I was able to teach others. And every night, I have the same nightmare, of being on welfare. That would suck! People, wake up and RAISE THE RATES!!!

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog, because now that the challenge is over, I won't be posting. It has been fun to write, and I hope fun for you to read. That's all folks!
Signing off for the last time,

                                                           -Sasha.

The week is done, here's what's left

By the end of the week the work to make food was routine. We do a lot of cooking normally, but the difference for the week of this challenge was the two days of work to prepare most of what we needed for six, effort that paid off once we were back at work. 

The other difference was all the mental preparation, and the emotional impact of such intense focus on social assistance and its inadequacies for the many thousands of people that rely on it. 

This challenge was a week of focus on food, but we also had the privilege of living in our cozy home, having a community of people around us at home and work that supported us, the ability to use our fairly well equipped kitchen, and have toiletries and other basics that kept life comfortable, even when we were hungry. If we had to buy toilet paper, etc as part of the challenge we would have had less food! What a nightmare choice for people to have to make! 

Well we started the week with a table food of food, and ended with maybe enough for a day left over. Here's the breakdown of food we ate with the stuff we bought.

The full list of what we had to start with:

Potatoes  10lb bag  $1.99        Lentils   1 lb  $1.61

Carrots    5lb bag    $$2.99      Beans   2lb   $2.54

Cabbage   4.3 lb    $1.69         Chick peas   1.3 lb $2.03

Celery   1 bunch    $1.49         Rice   1.3 lb  $2.13

Garlic    2   $0.38                     Pasta    1 lb   $1.67

Onions    3   $0.83                   Flour    2.2 lb   $3.51           

Apples    10    $1.77                Oats    1.3 lb   $2.29

Bananas   8   $1.48                 Sugar   .91 lb    $0.90

Raisins     $2.89                      Eggs    18      $4.79

Soda Crackers    $1.97           Peanut butter     $2.64

Cinnamon    .03 lb   $0.27       Yeast     .08 lb   $0.48 

Margarine      $1.49

Vegetable stock     $2.39

Canned tomatoes   3   $3.87

Milk  1L (not pictured)   $2.10

Leftover $1.80 we used to 'buy' a piece of ginger and one sweet potato we already had in house.

To recap the last of our meals: we had pasta and sauce on Friday night, and Saturday I made a potato/cabbage bake with onion & garlic, which we had for our last dinner along with some more pasta. Saturday we snacked on the last of the carrots and celery with the hummus, and ate the last of the muffin bites and crackers.

What it made:

Vegetable stew 

Carrot/Lentil/Ginger Soup with crackers 

1 bread loaf + 12 buns

2 batches of 24 muffin bites + 6 muffins

36 veggy cookies (made with potato, carrot, lentils, onion, garlic, flour)

Hummus (rather chick pea puree with some salt, peanut butter and smidgen of oil)

Big pot of beans & cabbage dish served with rice = 3 dinners and a lunch

Pasta and sauce 

Potato/Cabbage bake (with onion, garlic) 

What we have left:

- one portion of potato/cabbage dish, and one portion of pasta

- a little bit of hummus and little bit of peanut butter

- 1/2 cup of oatmeal mix

- 1/2 cup of sugar

- little bit of cinnamon and yeast

- one vegetable stock cube

- little bit of margarine (we ran out of oil quickly and this was our butter/oil rest of the week)

- 2 cups of cooked beans left in the fridge (I forgot to include in pic)

My head is full of lots more I want to write about, but we're now off to enjoy a brunch at the Whip (where Sasha can finally indulge in the waffles she has been dreaming of all week.) before heading to the Town Hall meeting at City Hall organized by Raise the Rates and the City of Vancouver. 

On a happy note, my post for day 6 and 7 were delayed because we were going through the process of adopting two little kitties from the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA), and yesterday we brought them home. Adopting kittens was something we were already in process with before we signed up for the challenge, but I know for those on assistance, having a pet is not really an affordable option. They are very good for cuddles and making you feel good, which is something everyone can benefit from, but a privilege for sure. We are very happy to welcome Willow and Socks into our home and our family.

Waking up Sunday morning to the cuteness of these kitties, as well as putting on coffee for the first time in a week, and having a full banana, were the luxuries of life I was grateful to enjoy. Time to ease back into life as normal, full of thoughts on all I've learned from this experience, and a heart full of gratitude for all that is good in our world...especially the food.

Sasha's thoughts. Day Six

Hello folks!

Today was pretty awesome! Pro-D at school today, so I had most of my meals at club. Breakfast was oatmeal, but dad poured WAY to much milk in and it was really gross! Lunch was soup and coleslaw, from home. Dinner was pasta and sauce, at home.

Seeing as tomorrow is THE LAST DAY!!! I have really been reflecting on the challenge. Not only have I learned a perspective from a person on welfare, but experienced a week of home-made treats, gross breakfasts, and after-school-dinners. It has definitely been a week to remember!

I can't wait for breakfast on Sunday morning! We are going out to The Whip, and I am looking forward to waffles! (I still want waffles, especially after this morning!)

That's all for tonight! A filling Friday it was today, and can't wait to share my Scrumptious Saturday tomorrow!

                                              -Sasha

Almost Over

We are almost at the end of our challenge and I have yet to post any comments.
Its been a challenging week. Smaller than normal portions and at times no second helpings...but in most cases I feel that I have been fairly well fed. Most of the credit goes to Kathy my amazing partner in life who fully embraced the challenge, and who was determined to make sure that we had a varied and interesting diet throughout the week. She has baked bread, buns, muffins, and biscuits to give us all treats, and something to dip into our soups and stews. She researched the cheapest places to find food to feed the family with our $54 dollars to spend, and has kept us all in a positive frame of mind throughout the week. Without her I am not sure that I would have lasted the whole week. Kudos also go to my daughter Sasha who stayed positive and has posted to this blog several times already. Sasha's willingness to stick with the challenge, and to experience it with us as a family has certainly helped me in those weak moments when I wanted to "cheat" and eat something that we had not bought with our $54, and to resist those beers in the back of the fridge that were calling my name.
It's also been an eye opener and has really driven home to me the message that we need to get those rates raised to make sure that those among us that rely on welfare to get buy are given enough money to be able to buy healthy food for themselves and their families.
Kudos to those other individuals and families who also chose to take on this challenge.
It's not easy, but the important things in life rarely are.
                                                          -Mark

Past the half way

Before heading to work yesterday I spent another dose of time in the kitchen, the space of ultimate privilege in a challenge like this: oven, stove, fridge, hand blender to puree the soup, utensils galore, and more. The last things I made up were some biscuits (because I didn't have enough flour to make bread), and a coleslaw made with cabbage, carrot, and raisins dressed with the last spoon of yogurt, salt, pepper and sprinkle of sugar. (Good, but better after it had a day to sit in the fridge)

     

Honestly, I wanted to cheat and use a spoonful of mayo to make it nice and creamy but glad I didn't as it was fine without, and the guilt of the cheat would have gotten to me after spending so much time reflecting on all the lack of options for people on any assistance.


When I got home from work last night I had planned on making the tomato sauce for a pasta dinner soon, but Mark took over and had the home smelling good with garlic, onion, celery and our 2 cans of tomatoes in no time. The past few days he has been a big help cleaning up the kitchen in between my baking/cooking/prepping messes, but it was nice to release the final dish to his care and relax. :)


Now that we are more than half way done the week, here are some of my thoughts in the past couple of days.

It feels surreal at this point to be maintaining this challenge with the end so near. In this weird state of mind I don't know how to articulate well. I feel I've proven that it is possible to feed a family on very little, but also hope I have shown that the effort and stress of it all is madness. I'm thankful for the supportive people who have followed along so far pointing out the amount of work we've put into making it through the week without reaching big hunger levels of others doing the challenge.

It should be easier for people to find healthy, affordable food close to home. We would not have had the amount we had if not for the 3 hour shop in 4 stores in 3 neighbourhoods. Not practical at all. And would be a nightmare in the rain on transit. Taking hours longer.

One more for Ian.

Yesterday on the way to school, Sasha mentioned "we could do this for a lot longer I think" and I said "no way! not without me having a total breakdown." I'm glad this has seemed relatively easy for her, but weeks of preparation for the challenge, and this week itself have been all consuming for me, and I know I could not maintain this level of planning and preparing on a regular basis unless I had to! Even though we have had portions to share with my friend, by Saturday night we will have gone through almost all of it, even the potato bag. I'll be sure to post a pic of what remains once we're done.

I have followed the Welfare Food Challenge in previous years always amazed by the various ways people get through it, and was stunned that this year the budget for the week was down to $18, and things aren't changing for those on assistance. I was uncomfortable about 'playing poor' for a week, and had friends who shared concerns on this lens too, but ultimately I believe it takes a diversity of tactics, a lot of action, and a lot of voices to make a real difference, and this year I felt we should try lending our voices to the 5th year of the challenge because a decade of stagnate rates is long enough. Thank you to all of you who have taken a moment to sign the petition to Raise the Rates!

We actually have been working poor for a few stretches of time over the years, mostly have always been paycheck to paycheck life. Once lost power because we chose groceries over bills, so we do understand from our own experience too. (And when I was younger I lived out of my car for a week because I had tired of finding places to stay, but at least I had my car.) I have never been someone who deals with financial stress very well, so in penny pinching times of the past I would always procrastinate on paying bills because its so hard to decide how much to pay, and to which important service to make a payment (hydro, phone?), and trying to catch up to zero on all bills takes forever once you fall behind and not enough money is coming in. I had breakdowns regularly, even though I knew at some point we'd catch up again.

It is a relief to have reached a stage where we have enough stability that I don't worry about the regular monthly cost of life anymore. We have all we need, some of what we want, and live simply yet fully. Everything about this challenge has reinforced my appreciation for the benefit this has on my mental and emotional well being, and for my health overall. And I have come out of survivor mode of someone always piecing income together wherever I can. We always benefited from one of us having a stable income so we always managed, even when it was hard. But all the time spent imagining life like this full time, especially with children to care for, made me stressed even though it isn't real for me.

For people in further depths of poverty than I've ever known, just how do you find the inner strength to get through?

The list of stresses of poverty is lengthy, especially if you are a parent. In a press release today, from the BC Civil Liberties Association, Pivot Legal Society, Westcoast LEAF, BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre and Community Legal Assistance Society, which makes many important points like this,

Some 185,000 people rely on social assistance (aka “welfare”) in B.C., including 35,000 children. Social assistance rates have been frozen since 2007 and sit well below the poverty line. Rates are vastly inadequate to meet recipients’ basic needs and protect their human rights. B.C. is the only province in Canada without a poverty reduction strategy. 

I read this and almost cried:

“Our province’s impossibly low assistance rates mean that many of these single moms are scrimping on food for themselves in order to save their kids from extreme malnutrition. Many of these women also live in fear that their children will be apprehended by the child protection system because of poverty – not because of abuse or a lack of love.”

Someone I know tried joking with me before we began the challenge that Sasha could call him if she got hungry, and he would call social services to come get her and make sure she was fed, but the reality of that situation is not a joke. First I pointed out she will not be malnourished because I would take smaller portions to make sure she has enough, and that he could choose to feed her instead, and also that she would never choose to leave us (maybe by 18 she'll feel otherwise?) But I would be devastated if someone took Sasha because we couldn't feed her, and I don't see the logic in children being removed from loving homes ever. Help families who are hurting, not hurt them more!

However, we are not hurting. We are fine. More hungry than usual, and I have felt less energetic, but otherwise we're pulling through this a-ok.

I'm feeling frazzled and full of rants from the ridiculousness of our systems of 'help', not sure if I'm making sense, and no longer sure what I want to say, so it's likely time to rest. Only 2 more days left for us, and a few more posts to come.

Be well everyone.

Sasha's Thoughts Day Four+Five

Hi!

Sorry I have neglected to post! I have had a very nice menu for two days, though:

Wednesday:

Breakfast was oatmeal, and an egg. Lunch was egg salad and dinner was leftover bean-cabbage-rice stuff.

Thursday:

Breakfast was oatmeal, and an egg. ( Yes, again) Lunch was soup and coleslaw and it was another night I stay late after school at club for preteen night, so that's where I got dinner. It was pretty good!!

                                        

Tomorrow is a Pro-D day, so I will be at club all day, but they only supply snack late afternoon, so I still get my family's dinner, lunch and breakfast. Tomorrow being Friday, afterwards is the last day of the challenge! Sunday we are going out for breakfast!

I will keep you posted!

                                                                        -Sasha

Back at work

Woke up from a strange dream where I was hungry and couldn't find any food to eat, and people kept eating in front of me and saying "Nope! yours is over there" while pointing at nothing.
Maybe I've become more than a little obsessed with food access now. Maybe I've been worrying a whole lot about the hunger of so many people, as I have felt hunger pangs for much of the past few days. Maybe I was thinking about my prankster co-workers messing with my mind as I had to work today. Likely all of the above.

As soon as I entered the kitchen though, my foggy nightmare ended and I swelled with gratitude once again. We do have food. We may be rationing to make sure we have enough to cover all the meals of the week, but, we have enough to cover all the meals for the week.

After tea and 1/2 banana I found out that my oatmeal skills have improved, as today's one cup portion was much better than our first day breakfast. Adding a boiled egg to the meal made it more filling.

 After getting Sasha ready and off to school, I came home to get myself ready for my walk to work. Before I left for the day I made another batch of oatmeal raisin muffin bites, with 3 small muffins for each of us to have as a snack at some point.

Watching all the ingredients diminish from the cupboard shelf can be nerve racking, until I open the fridge and see the leftovers that still offer us sustenance. While I waited for the baking to be done, I packed my lunch and dinner to get me through my 9 hours at work, then ate a snack of 3 muffin bites (from the old batch), and 3 small handfuls of roasted chick peas to energize me for my half hour walk.

When reading the experience of other challenge participants trying to get by individually on the $18 budget, my stomach rumbles in solidarity with their efforts. If Mark and Sasha had not agreed to try this with me as a family, I don't know if I'd have the stamina to tackle it alone, especially while living with other people who continue to eat things you can't.

I hope their are no people on assistance of some kind having to live with others who would eat while they went hungry. I'm sure it is a reality outside this challenge (where it seems common that individuals are trying this out on their own, though living with roommates/family who are not participating. That is ridiculously hard in my mind). The more I delve into understanding the individual human horror that living in genuine poverty is, by listening to perspectives of people who have lived it, are living it, have never known anything else, the more I know that there are a lot more people suffering than need to be.

Goody bag for Ian.

One challenge participant is someone I work with at Britannia Community Centre. Ian is the Food Security Coordinator and you should follow along on his blog if you want to learn about food access in Vancouver. gwfoodconnection.wordpress.com

He's always working so hard to make sure other people are fed, so after reading about his one meal a day to survive, I was compelled to bring him a few portions of our bounty. I believe the challenge rules allow participants to share with other participants, so at work I'm the only one who can share with him. and we have enough to do so, even if only a little bit.

Britannia is a place where needy people seek refuge in various ways. Every morning staff have to wake up all the homeless people sleeping in every available nook and cranny on the site that is dry. Many homeless people use the showers at the pool when they need to feel clean and warm. (Having a Britannia membership, which is $3 for an adult for a year, gains you access to free showers and the dry sauna in the change room, before 3 every day but Saturday). People rely on the library as a place to gain access to the internet, use the washrooms, and relax in a warm spot a while and read to nourish their minds. There are also various programs that help individuals and families, who are working poor, on welfare or disability assistance, or new immigrants needing support in their new homeland.

The Leisure Access Program is a Vancouver Park Board initiative that allows people who qualify as low income or on assistance, to receive a year pass which they gain free access to the public pools and rinks, and discounts on community centre programs across the city. As our office is a place where these passes are processed once approved, we are witness to the ways that access to these community facilities, services and programs can be life changing for people.

Another big thing at Britannia is food access. Ian shared a great post about the people who access his bulk food buying program who come from near and far for the two bags plus that he is able to supply them for $14. And there are many other food access programs that are run through partnerships on site between the schools, Eastside Family Place, and the Britannia Society. I know I'm leaving lots of stuff out here, so I'll try to follow up with links to all these resources for anyone who is following our experience, and could use the help in real life.

To wrap up my first post about work life I'm happy to say that my co-workers were nothing but supportive as always (I am fortunate to work in an office with an array of wonderfull people), and I made it through the day ok. I had two of my meals at work today, including soup (this Carrot/Lentil/Ginger soup turned out amazing, and for me is the best thing I've eaten all week. The ginger piece really was worth its weight in gold for me!) with soda crackers and a few veggy cookies, and then a small bowl of stew with a bun.

  

Back home tonight I see this bag of potatoes as my comfort, just to have it there. We have used less than half, and it signifies the opportunity for more food to eat when we need it, so we definitely won't be needing the charity loaf of bread in our freezer on Saturday. 

Tonight I go to bed with a faint touch of hunger, but my spirit is full of gratitude. 

If following along with our efforts, and the struggles of other participants has you marveling at the difficulty of getting by on so little, remember that this is daily life for too many thousands of people in BC. 

Please sign the petition calling for a rate increase as it is inhumane to expect people to live on $610 a month. 

(Note: I started this post late after work Tuesday night, but finished in the morning as I was too tired by midnight to finish making my words make any sense. Now I'm off to work again, day 4 of the challenge, and I made some biscuits and coleslaw this morning before leaving, and will try to post again tonight when home from work.)