Hunger 101 at SUNY Potsdam

Last evening, we presented our Hunger 101 program to a class at SUNY Potsdam.  While the students in the class have been learning about various social service programs all semester, some of them were still surprised by the experiential nature of the Hunger 101 program and feeling what it might be like to be in need themselves.

Here a just a few of their comments:

• Even though there were multiple programs to ehlp people, they ended up with very little food and or money
• I realized before the exercise that SNAP benefits were minimal, but during the exercise I realizsed (almost) realistic frustration.
• I like having to budget the monthly expenses because it showed how difficult it may be for someone to manage their money.
• I learned how difficult it is to get aid and how hard it is to provide for a family on a low food budget.
• It really simulated what people go through and actually put me in that situation.
• I liked that Hunger 101 opened a lot of people's eyes to real life situations that families actually go through.

And from one student who has experience using SNAP benefits in real life and who played the role of a grocery store cashier:  "I didn't like having to treat people the way I was treated at grocery stores because they were using SNAP or were undocumented."