Junior League of the Eastern Panhandle

Description

What do meals look like when your food budget is only $4.35 per day, per person? From February 16 – 28, we encourage all members of the community to join us in the fight to end food insecurity by participating in the #EPSNAPCHALLENGE to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle.

Starting in 2019, WV Governor Jim Justice has declared the first Tuesday of the WV Legislative Session to be Hunger Free WV Day. In alignment with 2021’s Hunger Free WV Day on February 16, the Junior League of the Eastern Panhandle (JuLEP) and Healthy Berkeley are launching the Eastern Panhandle SNAP Challenge to raise awareness about the food insecurity issues in the Eastern Panhandle, while also raising funds to support the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle. The goal is to raise $5,000 which will provide funds for the Boys & Girls Club to provide one extra serving of fruit and one extra serving of vegetables to their program recipients. Currently the Boys & Girls club is providing meals to 220 kids across Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties.

SNAP—Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program— provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of families in need so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency. Over 300,000 families in WV receive SNAP benefits.

In the Eastern Panhandle, 1 in 8 people experience food insecurity and 1 in 5 children. Food insecurity has jumped during COVID-19. Child food insecurity rates in the EP are projected to increase between 44% and 59% as the COVID pandemic continues to cause financial challenges for many WV families.

How to be part of the #EPSNAPCHALLENGE:

SHOP

Challenge yourself to go 3-5 days on a SNAP grocery budget of $4.35 per person, per day. Try to only eat the foods you can buy on this budget. Take pictures and reflect on how you feel and what you eat (condiments and spices don’t count). Share your experience on social media, tag #EPSNAPCHALLENGE, and encourage people to donate to the campaign.

COMPARE

Eat the foods you normally eat, and calculate the rough cost of your food for the day. Or, try to shrink your daily food costs. Calculate and compare to the SNAP budget of $4.35 per person, per day. Share your experience on social media, tag #EPSNAPCHALLENGE, and encourage people to donate to the campaign.

SHARE

Whatever challenge you choose, please share your thoughts, meals, and reactions with your friends on social media and tag #EPSNAPCHALLENGE. Help us raise awareness about the ongoing reality of hunger in the EP and encourage friends to donate. You can also help spread awareness by changing your FB Profile Pic to use the #EPSNAPCHALLENGE Facebook frame.

DONATE

If you would like to donate or share a donation link with your posts, please use this URL: https://www.facebook.com/donate/179103954010688/

The Junior League of the Eastern Panhandle will give ALL donations to the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle to support healthy free meals for kids.