UPDATE: Gwyneth Paltrow has foresaken the Food Stamp Challenge. According to Celebitchy, Paltrow went out to lunch in LA on Saturday, only three days after she made a very public showing of her pledge to only spend $29 on groceries for a week in solidarity with the #FoodBankNYCChallenge. She dined at Tavern Restaurant, which Google tells me serves “Seasonal American cuisine in posh environs with a glass atrium.” Tavern’s menu isn’t outlandish by Gwyn’s standards, serving items ranging from a 4-dollar bowl of olives to a $24 grilled salmon.
The Huffington Post points out that anti-hunger advocates are grateful even for the press that Gwyngate is giving them. “While living on a food stamp budget for just a week cannot come close to the struggles encountered by low-income families week after week and month after month, it does provide those who take the Challenge with a new perspective and greater understanding,” says the Food Research and Action Center. What a very politically correct thing to say. Still, nothing screams “advocate for the hungry” like eating a 17-dollar turkey burger inside a glass atrium.
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Gwyneth Paltrow, she of vaginal steaming and $11 moon juice, will attempt to live on a grocery budget of $29 for a week as part of the #FoodBankNYCChallenge, in which celebrities attempt to live on food stamps. The gossip blog DListed revealed that chef Mario Batali, Paltrow’s pal and board member of the Food Bank for New York City, threw her the challenge to raise awareness as Congress considers cutting aspects of the program.
Paltrow will be allowed to spend $29 per family member each week on food. She can use coupons, but won’t be allowed to cook anything she already has in the house or get food from others. She posted a photo on Instagram of the foods — mostly veggies — that she was able to purchase:
This is what $29 gets you at the grocery store—what families on SNAP (i.e. food stamps) have to live on for a week. pic.twitter.com/OZMPA3nxij
— Gwyneth Paltrow (@GwynethPaltrow) April 9, 2015
Can someone pass along Good and Cheap, a free PDF/food stamp cookbook to Ms. Paltrow? Something tells me that families who rely on SNAP every day of their lives go for something more hearty than … six limes.
You can donate to the Food Bank for NYC, learn how to volunteer, or find a food pantry or information about food stamps here.
