The “Do the Math” challenge is an anti-poverty campaign which highlights the failure of Ontario’s current social assistance rates to support individuals and families adequately while receiving social assistance. Haldimand and Norfolk counties are attempting the second phase of the campaign where several prominent community members have volunteered to live on a food hamper for one week.

For more information on the project, visit our About the “Do The Math” project page, otherwise, continue reading to discover our volunteer’s experiences!

I want to personally thank all of the challenge participants for blogging their comments and starting the conversation about what does poverty look like for Haldimand and Norfolk counties. The journey is not over and hopefully from this campaign and other initiatives we will develop concrete strategies to raise the awareness of poverty in our community and to help at least one person or family lift themselves out of poverty.

Sorry I didn’t post yesterday – was away at an out of town workshop, to which I took my lunch using up the last of my bread, lunch meat, carrots and fruit. Not bad but was hungry when I got home.
I decided to finish the challenge one meal early and go out for dinner last night with a couple of close friends from work, and after much inner debate I decided I wouldn’t feel guilty about it. Last night was our annual fundraiser at Women’s Services and it’s tradition that a few of us go out to dinner ahead of time. Originally I said I wouldn’t go but after a long and tiring day and a lot of thinking I changed my mind.
This challenge was harder for me than I thought it would be. I grew up in a single parent home, with a Mom who was very good at creating meals for three young children with sometimes few ingredients that didn’t necessarily go well together. From her I learned how to calculate the total cost of a grocery bill within $5.00 before I get to the check out in order to make sure that I stay within budget and to make sure that the groceries I buy last until the next grocery day. These have been important lessons in my life and skills that I was able to drawn upon during the challenge. It was harder because it showed me how important it is to me to be able to choose the foods I eat, to have a variety of foods and to eat when I’m hungry. I found myself feeling ticked off and resentful that I couldn’t eat the food I was wanting and needing necessarily at the time when I needed it.
I will keep thinking about where to go from here, and am interested in what others are thinking and planning about this as well.

As I sit in bed waiting for Day 5 to come to a close I’ve been looking back on the last week.  First, I’d like to thank everyone who participated and who set up the awareness for the opportunity. I’ve learned so much more that I expected.  First I have mastered cooking oatmeal and I even ate it as a bedtime snack tonight.  I’m out of bread, used the last 2 pieces at lunch, I normally don’t eat the crust, but I did this week and its really not as bad as I thought.  I’m out of fruit and veggies, and have grown a new appreciation for them.  I’m dying to eat cheese and yogurt but will wait until tomorrow. I’ve learned that I don’t need 4 pieces of lunch meat on one sandwich.  I’ve hopefully conquered my caffeine addiction since I’ve been subsituting it with hot water all week…who would’ve thought it would take a poverty awareness challenge to kick start my weight loss…I’m down 8 pounds and have readjusted my eating habits. Beyond the silver lining of this experience there still is a dark cloud.  The realization that this is not over for thousands of people in this province is a dark cloud that will hang over me long after today is done.  The knowledge that we MUST change this situation is staring me straght in the face and wondering how we can do that has my brain working overtime.  I’ve stated it before and will state it again…we need to ensure somehow someway that we look after our most valuable asset…our children.  We need to find a way to ensure that they start the day with food in the stomachs and hope in their hearts.  By allowing them to live in poverty we are teaching them at too young an age  to be bitter and resentful and cold and hungry.  Not happy, hopeful, warm and safe which is the only thing that children should know.  Poverty is like a disease that is attacking our society and as we see more and more job loss, plant closures and outsourcing of our employment opportunities we need to find ways to be proactive not reactive to these situations.  I would like to take the opportunity right now to take my hat off to the people who are living this everyday. It needs to change…no, sorry it MUST change.  For the sake of our future we need to look at increaseing ODSP and Social Assistance amounts, no one should have to choose between medication and food.  Nor should we be sending children in our community to school to learn with empty bellies.  As I finish writing this its officially after midnight and I could, without guilt run to the kitchen and wolf down a bunch of things that have been off limits since Monday…but if I did, I would feel guilty.  I’d rather have the hunger pains than the guilt.  Thank you once again to everyone for participating and as we come into the Holiday Season don’t forget where we were at 5pm today, out of food, hungry and more aware.

There seems to be some consensus amongst those who have posted that while we are coming to the end of a challenging week, for so many others what we have lived simply continues… that is a bracing realisation. I know that I could not maintain the level of intellectual and physical activity I am used to on this food intake. Life would be much greyer.
I have found myself thinking a lot about children these past days. It is hard enough to do without oneself. What must it be like not to be able to provide adequate food for one’s kids? That for me would be when sleeping at night would get really difficult. We are only talking food here. As other bloggers have noted, what must it be like not to be able to afford clothes, medications, money for school trips, simple treats?
This week has deepened my appreciation for those working with people in need in Simcoe, particularly with those who simply don’t get enough to eat.
I am looking forward to an initiative that we as a group might be able to promote to provide more support to those working on the frontlines with people forced to live on what we have tasted this week.
Thank you very much for your support and encouragement in getting through this week.

What we have done for a week continues to be a way of life for many.  Let’ s not forget the less fortunate and remember, these are people in our own communities.  As I went through the halls at school today there were a lot of good things going on, collections for Unicef, the sale of Poppies and the preparations for Rememberance Day and the male staff is involved in Movember to name a few.   Also |Christmas is not far off.  Just maybe we can help make life a little better for someone else.

Hey folks! I am so sorry that I did not blog at all Wednesday and Thursday ~ work has been extremely hectic and when I wasn’t at work, I was helping out with the organization of an event that was held last night.  It has been a challenging week but I have to say that I actually have a new found love for oatmeal.  With the weather getting cooler, I have truly enjoyed breakfast this, a meal that I usual skip.  As for lunch and dinner though – well….. Let’s just say I am tired of peanut butter or ham sandwiches.  I am looking forward to not having to be so careful with my meal choices but also cannot help but feel guilt about having choices. My biggest struggle this week…gummy worms!!! Darn those sweet treats, I had a few and then felt awful for doing so.  However, last night was very difficult ~ I helped to organize a fundraising event which was catered by Knechtel’s.  I had one potato left at home so substituted it for some potatoes and I had yet to eat my carrots this week and a can of vegetables so had some steamed vegetables at the dinner.  I skipped on the chicken breast but DID have one piece of fish (everyone else was given 3!).  I wasn’t going to have fish at all but then told myself that if I were less fortunate and did not have enough money to buy meat at a grocery store, I would try to catch myself a meal in Lake Erie (last night I imagined that I caught one fish).  I know it was cheating but I still went without a lot of other delicious foods.  It gave me a great opportunity to tell many people at the event about what I was doing and why I was doing it!!!

From here –> I plan on asking all of my facebook friends to donate to their local food banks.  I posted about the challenge on the first day and many friends and family have asked me about it and are very supportive.  I have 500+ friends there and if all of them donate just one item that will feed a lot of people.

I would like to thank Corraine and everyone on the planning committee for the opportunity to take part in this challenge. It has been rewarding and has given me a reality check ~ I count my blessings for having what I have and although I am not that well of and constantly struggle with finances, it is still not as bad as other have it.  God bless!!!

Well I’ve had my last meal of the challenge and as others I’m glad it’s over.  But I can’t help feeling guilty when I go back to my normal diet knowing so many will continue to eat as we have over the past 5 days. Thanks to my husband John for joining me in this challenge.  It made it much easier.  Thanks also to all of you that listened to the story, asked how I was doing, thanked me for doing this, particiapted in many great conversations  and donated food at work for the food banks.  The learning has been amazing!!  I am humbled that so many live this way and that I could experience it if only for 5 days.

But this is just the beginning!!!  Along with getting support to add more money to social assistance for food, the hope was to start a conversation in Haldimand and Norfolk about what poverty looks like in our community and how we as a community can begin to address it.  Thanks to Corraine Wray for getting this off the ground.  The Health and Social Service Department will continue to take the lead in putting together another event, in the spring, that will continue this work. If you have any ideas or want to help plan the next steps, get in touch with Corraine or myself at 519-426-6170.  In the meantime, the participants will be getting together to ensure we get some promotion of our experiences to the greater public.  The blog will stay up on the website so send people to read it!

Thanks to those who particiapted or followed our stories.  Get involved and stay tuned…

not about cooking…I tried on day 3 to do a “stroganoff thing” using ground beef and Kraft dinner…didn’t work real well…so here I am on the last day..out of milk, lunch meat  and the three bananas I thought I was so smart in buying are gone too…I was surprised that I spent the time I did trying to create something out of what I had…I feel bad that those living on this kind of food allowance dont have the ability to vary…just to survive..

I watch those I know living like this…how their self esteem seems to reflect how they think the world sees them. I see the anger, frustration and the hopelessness…

I did have what I thought was one good idea and will be pursuing that with Salvation Army soon…will let you know.. 

I have to conclude with my thoughts for the week..

not sure what will be accomplished except the people that care still care….

Seems to me there is not enough from a numbers perspective to push any significant change…

I had comments from some of those affected and they appreciated the efforts…

What next?

All in alll..made me think…grew the cynic a little more …and made my brain look for some solutions…

Lorraine

Like others the headache that started Wed is real for past 2 days. This is the last day and surprizingly it is somehow a sad day. I say that because we in the challenge can move on tomorrow but I cant stop thinking of those in this county whose tomorrow is not that close by. I spoke of this challenge at a meeting last night and the interest and comments which followed the meeting were very interesting. For example, 2 war (WW11) veterans spoke to me and both mentioned that what we are doing and the portions we were receiving in the hamper to eat were not that different to what they had received as rations during the war. That took me back because they were not talking about any wars in recent years. It has been an eye opener and many things have been learned from my own experience and from reading the blogs of others. I hope this can all be captured and sent in strong words to those who have the power to make change and to help make things a little better for those who really need the help.

I know this has been an eye opening exercise for all of the challenge participants, myself and the community at large. Last night I had an awful dream where the food from my hamper had run out and I got into an argument with the staff at the food bank who were not allowed to give me more food. Usually there is a limit to the number of times you can access a food bank. So, what would you do in this type of situation? Certainly, this challenge has provided a great opportunity for us to begin the discussion about addressing poverty especially the issue of the access to safe and good quality food for everyone.