40 Days of SNAP: Sticking to a SNAP Budget During Lent

A woman shops for produce at a supermarket (USDA photo).

The Herman family, members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) living in California's Central Valley, have decided to follow a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food budget during Lent. They will be blogging about their journey and sharing their stories on the Bread Blog. 

By Ivan and Susan Herman

We live in California’s Central Valley, where the best fruits, veggies, and nuts are grown. We care about food and enjoy eating well.

We are members of the Presbyterian Church (USA), one tradition among many that says “be the body of Christ.” And what is more important to the body–yes, Christ’s body–than food?

So, in 2013 during Lent, we are practicing the discipline of living on a food budget that mirrors, as closely as possible, food stamps—or as it’s now known, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

What will we remove or add to our grocery cart to make the dollars work? How will we deviate from the plan to accommodate the less-movable fixtures of our lifestyle? How will we change our lifestyle to accommodate the plan? What lessons will our children (ages 3 and 7) learn?

Ours is a faith that seeks understanding. We do and we learn and belief follows; we believe and learn and do; the spiral edges outward.

You’re invited to join us on our journey. Please feel free to:

• Comment on our posts with advice, ideas, tips, and encouragement—honest critique also welcome!
• Send us links to articles on SNAP and other issues related to food, the farm bill, and making more with less
• Send us your own stories about hunger and plenty, and what you’ve learned from that experience

Ivan Herman is Associate Pastor at Carmichael Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, California. Susan Herman is an independent editor and coordinates the Northern California chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association.