Heather Andy: This Is Starting To Take Its Toll

Description

A Walk in Other’s Shoes is returning to this year’s Week of Action Against Poverty. This challenge is being undertaken by individuals in the community who have interests within the health field. Participants have been asked to attempt to stay within a social assistance benefits’ budget. A single person on Ontario Works would receive $337 monthly for all of their personal needs and $384 for all of their shelter costs. Because participants cannot replicate the housing conditions realistically, shelter costs are not included within this challenge. For the five day challenge, participants will have $11 daily to cover all food and drink, entertainment, some personal supplies and transportation costs. Each day, every participant will be given a challenge card which will reveal an unexpected challenge to be completed before the end of the day.

A Walk in Other’s Shoes is not a competitive challenge. It is a challenge that raises awareness of the hurdles that people living on social assistance face daily. As we within our community develop our own understanding, we can begin to reduce the barriers that they encounter and ultimately increase opportunities for increased prosperity for all. The challenge takes place February 10th-14th, 2018.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

This Is Starting To Take Its Toll

This afternoon having minimal access to greens as I cant afford it. Day 4 I am feeling the "buildup". No green fibre. I was able to go to the local No Frills and buy clearance snap peas. As long as I do not eat the whole bag this may work. I am lucky I was also able to have a great bowl of soup at the Fellowship today. The gift of soup gave me a chance to have some wild rice that for sure I never would have been able to afford on my budget.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

About Me

Why do you want to undertake the Walk In Our Shoes
challenge?
As a frontline service provider working directly with clients I feel it speaks volumes if one can speak from experience or awareness. I may not live within wall of what one would consider financial poverty, however I do see the great difficulty in our community watching the trends in the grocery store. Working in a Health Access Centre I should be able to provide constructive real time recommendations to clients looking to take tools learned in our health sharing circles how to actually follow through with healthy nutrition on a budget. 'Walk on Our Shoes' will allow me to have operate within a "pinch" which will give me leverage to assist in advocacy for changes locally.
What do you think will be the hardest part of the five
days?
I anticipate the hardest part of my next five days will have to be resourceful and look for nutrition following a high fibre vegetable diet with minimal carbohydrates.
Have you thought of any strategies for helping you get
through it?
Yes, I have been working on a meal plan and I must say I am not feeling overly confident I will not go hungry after day 3 as of today.
What do you expect to gain from your experience?
I aim to gain true awareness of the concerns of attaining true health through nutrition and not spending money through additional supplements. This experience will allow me to take it to a very REAL place of living that will ultimately assist me in advocating informed changes in social networking and advocacy with funding resources. Healthy eating should be available to anyone, not just a selected few.