Queens Councilman Tries To Live On Food Stamps For A Week

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Queens Councilman Tries To Live On Food Stamps For A Week
05/10/2007 08:56 AM
By: NY1 News

Queens Councilman Eric Gioia will try to live for a week spending only $28 for food, in an attempt to raise awareness about hunger.

Gioia is taking part in the National Food Stamp Challenge, where he'll spend a week eating only meals that can be bought with a standard weekly allotment of food stamps.

Currently, food stamp recipients only receive an average of $1.30 per meal, and Gioia says that's unacceptable.

"As a government we need to do more,” said Gioia. “We need to be providing families that are on food stamps with a higher subsidy. It’s virtually impossible to buy enough food for your family on $28 per person; [it’s] just a few bucks per meal."

More than a million New Yorkers currently receive food stamps, which average less than $200 a month for a family.

Gioia and other leaders are lobbying the federal government for more money.