Within an hour of posting the day one story of the food stamp challenge, my inbox was flooded with emails from well-wishers who applauded the effort and kindly praised my list of purchases.  The notes came from Americans across the country, many from those who have lived on food stamps for decades and have made it work for them. Fellow Clevelander Eydie suggested I check out Leanne Brown's cookbook, Good and Cheap. Cookie Kirkland of San Diego told me she lived on $12.00 a week for years and provided a rundown of the healthy items she used to prepare, including salmon end cuts and heads of lettuce.  Then there were the dissenters. Some called the challenge a grandstanding gimmick. Others thought it was just plain insensitive.  Let me be clear about one thing: in no way do I believe this experiment captures what it is truly like to be without. It was never meant to poke fun at anyone's suffering or prove that I know what it's like to be poor, as some of you put it. Poverty goes way beyond food. It is a complicated, multifaceted issue. This week was merely meant to open up the lines of discussion on a very important topic.  Several readers also pointed out that food stamps were created to subsidize purchases, not to live on indefinitely. According to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) website, the plan has its roots in the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1933. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the act after crop prices fell, and American farmers were left with a surplus of goods.  The program proved mutually beneficial: farmers were able to sell off the excess at discount prices, and relief agencies were stocked with wholesome foods for low-income families. In 1939, Roosevelt incorporated the "Food Stamps Plan" as part of the New Deal.  Nearly three decades later, President John F. Kennedy reintroduced the Food Stamp Program after it was disbanded during World War II. Other presidential administrations would later pass more acts to refine and redefine the program into what it is today.  Why am I saying all of this? Well I think it's important to look at the history to understand what's happening right now. While food stamps were initially created to help curb the cost of goods, and the plan still supports that philosophy ("Supplemental" is the first word in the program's name) it has also become a lifeline for many.  A reader named Richard said those on food stamps need to get a job and stop "bumming off the taxpayer." Another named Michael said, "If low income people can't feed themselves sufficiently with the aid of SNAP, there are certainly other programs and food banks that can help."  I am a hardworking taxpayer and I would not want my dollars to go to someone who is not putting forth an effort. And yes, there are many organizations out there working to help those in need. But what about seniors? What about those who are truly physically or mentally disabled? What about the man or woman who was laid off at the age of 65 and is struggling to find another job?  It seems to me that the food stamp program is meant to function as a stepping stone, to get a person from point A to point B without going hungry.  But the question becomes, is $29 a week enough to make it to point B?  ON A MOBILIE DEVICE? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.
Day Two of a Daily Newser’s food stamp challenge brings support and advice from around the country, but also detractors