Commission embarks on food stamp challenge

MOSES LAKE- Incorporating potatoes into meals is one way families can eat nutritiously without going over their grocery budgets, according to the Washington State Potato Commission.

Six WSPC staff members will begin a week-long "Food Stamp Challenge" on Saturday, to highlight both the affordability and nutritional value of potatoes.

Each participant will use the average weekly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit given to Washington residents as their total budget for groceries for seven days.

Potatoes must be a key ingredient in each of their menus, according to a WSPC news release.

WSPC executive director Chris Voigt said the idea to take the challenge came from a documentary he watched, in which a couple tries to eat a well-balanced diet on a food stamp budget.

Voigt and his family will be participating in the challenge, according to the release.

"Although we realize that living on a SNAP benefit budget for just one week cannot come close to the true experience that families face when having to rely on the program week after week and month after month, we felt the challenge would provide us with a better understanding of what those families go through," said Voigt. "We also wanted to do it with potatoes having an important place in many of the meals we will eat."

More than 1.5 million Washington residents receive SNAP benefits, according to data from the national Department of Agriculture.

In 2012, the average monthly benefit for a state resident was $129.69 a month for individuals and $241.96 per household.

The WSPC challenge begins April 6. Individual participants will build their menus for the week while spending only $29.56, while Voigt's household will spend $56.45 on food for the week.

The challenge ends April 12. During the week, participants will also avoid accepting free food from families, friends or while at other events where food may be served.

A nutritionist will review their menus to see how healthy they were able to make their meals, according to the release.

Ryan Holterhoff, director of marketing and industry affairs for WSPC, said the goal of the challenge is to promote potatoes as both nutritional and affordable. Holterhoff is also participating in the food stamp challenge.

"We're not taking lightly the fact that this is what some people have to live on, our goal is to show the nutritional value potatoes can provide when you incorporate them into a meal and the affordability they have even on a limited budget," he said.

Holterhoff said participants will be sharing their experiences, as well as some of their recipes, throughout the entire food stamp challenge week on the commission's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WashingtonPotatoes.

The public can also follow the participants throughout the week by visiting the WSPC blog at http://potatoes.com/blog, he said.