A SNAP Challenge that did not happen

So, I was planning to do the SNAP Challenge the week of September 17.  Instead, as some of you know, I was in the hospital at Upstate that week after having a seizure the Thursday evening before.

The SNAP Challenge, of course, is when  you try to live on the average SNAP budget of $4.60 per day for food for a few days, a week, or longer.  It can be an eye-opening exercise for anyone, including me when I did a few years ago, while I was still at Foodshare in Connecticut.

I do remember working hard to create a menu and a budget that worked for the week I was doing the Challenge.  And I remember how my two sons played into it.  The youngest, DJ, was still at home and partway through the week, he said to me, "I understand why you are doing this, but why do I have to do it?"  Hmm, I guess you're right, DJ, so he went straight for the ice cream that was in the freezer from before I started the Challenge.

I had planned my challenge to be from a Monday to the following Sunday.  Well, on Friday of the week, my older son, Alex, called me from the University of Connecticut to say that he wanted to bring a car full of his college friends to the house for dinner that very evening!  What mom is going to turn down that offer - to see her son and his friends!  So, the challenge went out the window a couple of days early and I cooked up a feast for the boys.

I did realize how lucky I was to have all of these options.  My menu/diet while on the Challenge was significantly different that usual.  Lots of carbs, lots of PB&J, and many less than healthy choices.  How glad I was to have Alex's phone call and get rid of this menu a couple of days early!

So, while I did not end up participating in this year's SNAP Challenge, I hope that I will be able to next year,  And thank you all for your good wishes during and after my recent hospitalization.  While I don't have any clear answers yet, I do have confidence in the team at Upstate and hope to know more soon.

Gloria