An amazine guide for how be vegan on a budget.
According to Fox News we are a living in a country suffering from 47 million free loaders. These people are living in a culture of dependency and are draining our society through government-funded subsides. Approximately one in seven Americans is currently on food stamp SNAP cards. Do these families deserve to shop at a local organic market or buy more costly gluten-free bread?
When I was in Chicago over break I stopped into Quimby’s Books. That is where I stumbled across a couple of small paper zine’s stuffed into the cooking section. The title was “Food Stamp Foodie” and they were filled with a few quick recipes for how to cook vegan on a budget. This was my spring board and I started exploring the idea of publishing for people on government assistance. From here I worked backwards discovering that the publisher also created several other zine’s for underground chefs.
Some of my favorite recipes.
But this company is not the only group publishing for the poor. The United States Department of Agriculture offer a range of recipes that highlight the importance of a healthy diet. Their recipe finder offers options with multiple ingredients and types of cuisine. Each recipe is broken down into cost per serving. Most of them are under $2 per person and provide several translations.
In a country still struggling to emerge from a recession and refusing to adopt a higher minimum wage, food stamps are becoming the new normal. These families also deserve to eat healthy and SNAP helps close the gap. As someone who has needed food stamps to survive, these programs are an essential part of life for millions of Americans. That is why there are an increasingly large number of blogs and articles dedicated to cooking specifically with a food stamp budget. I even stumbled across a growing number of food stamp cooking clubs that help unite communities. One group in northern Nebraska call their website a “clubhouse” and they meet to exchange tips on how to stretch a dollar. Other families are taking to the internet for the “40 day food stamp” challenge. Most of them struggle to avoid buying prepackaged foods that often are at lower price points. A family of four currently receives $627 a month for food for all three meals a day. This is after a $36 reduction in 2013. If we continue to limit the food people can buy and demonizing them for making healthy organic choices, we will continue to place these families in poverty.
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