My name is Marcellus Wiley. In a single lifetime I've answered to ivy league graduate, professional athlete, sports commentator, friend and father. When you're in the public eye there's an assumption that the real you is known by all based on various television and radio interviews. When I saw Mario Batali in the news recently, it brought me back to the first title I ever had and that is "SON."

As a teenager I was often sent to the store by my mom to shop for the family. Whether it was for an extra ingredient needed for a certain dish, a gallon of milk...you name it and I was probably the one sent to get it. The journey I took to the store was not unlike that of countless kids all over the country. My team jersey was the same as most. My Chuck Taylors weren't too different from anyone else's and I gave the same "pound" to friends I saw along the way. The only thing that I was pretty certain set me apart from others was the currency burning a hole in my pocket. I knew that at the end of my shopping trip I would be paying the cashier with what I called "funny money", properly known as food stamps.

As a kid, I hated it. It's not like I was walking around like I thought I was better than others or some kind of Richie Rich but that didn't mean I wanted everybody to know THAT MUCH of our situation. In fact, sometimes I was so embarrassed that I would walk around the store in circles, up to 45 minutes in hopes to significantly delay the checkout process just so NO ONE would see me paying with those food stamps. 

When I heard that the Food Bank For New York City was doing a Food Stamp Challenge where people were actually CHOOSING to live on $31 for the week, I was intrigued. In all of the rhetoric today it's great to see people walking a mile in another's shoes in order to better understand their situation. When you're on any form of public assistance like food stamps, you're never thinking about the fact that you are one of almost 50 million Americans who are ALSO requiring assistance.

In my conversations with the Food Bank's president I learned that almost 80 percent of people on food stamps are mothers and their children. That's not different from my story. I also learned that many times teens would rather avoid using programs like free and reduced lunch assistance to keep from being embarrassed in front of their peers. That too is not different from my story. What's different for me now is that as an adult I better understand the necessity of a safety net for any family in need. Being needy doesn't mean anything about your character and certainly it doesn't say anything about your potential.

My mother firmly placed me on a path of success. The fact that part of that journey included walks to the store carrying food stamps makes me admire her even more. My sincere hope is that each person who has taken the Food Stamp Challenge will walk away understanding that what was an experiment for them is just called life for so many others. We live in a world where it's better to be called anything but poor. The Food Stamp Challenge reminds us that it's important that we use our voice and circle of influence on behalf of those who could truly use it. Food Bank For New York City is using this challenge to increase awareness and encourage all of us to act by letting our elected officials know that we care about those in need and expect them to do the same. If you'd like to join us in this effort just click here and let your voice be heard too.

Marcellus Wiley is a former All-Pro defensive end NFL analyst for ESPN, and co-host of "Max & Marcellus" on 710AM ESPN Radio Los Angeles. Wiley regularly appears on NFL Live, SportsCenter, First Take, and ESPNEWS, while also contributing to ESPN’s Super Bowl coverage.

By Chef Karl Wilder, 

What began for me as a month long project to live as a diabetic in support of the Harlem Hospital’s Stirring the Pot diabetes program also became a commitment to the Food Bank For New York City when I realized just how common diabetes and other diet-related diseases are in low-income communities — communities that also rely heavily on food stamps to get by.

To truly understand what low-income diabetics go through, I joined the Food Bank’s Food Stamp Challenge last week — an experience that for me will culminate in a twelve-hour Chef Challenge Marathon on May 19 in support of Stirring the Pot and the Food Bank.

Last summer I lived on a food stamp budget for two months in preparation for a benefit for the San Francisco Food Bank. I did okay then because I relied on high calorie foods that are filling and provide sustenance. But with the added challenge of a diet restricted by a very serious health condition, this time I sought to create an eating plan that had about 45 grams of carbohydrate per meal and never exceed $4.42 per day.

My morning cup of coffee with a splash of milk cost me forty-three cents, just 6 strawberries sixty cents, two slices of bacon forty two cents. In no time my budget has been consumed.

Now I am just hungry. Every day I am hungry. Thus far I have not been able to get my calories above 1,500 a day, though my goal is 2,200. I just can’t afford that many calories while eating the ”right” foods. I have managed to stay within budget but I feel weak and have less energy. My sleep patterns have been interrupted because I wake up feeling hunger.

When we think about people on food assistance we don’t often realize that many also have serious health issues like diabetes, celiac, heart disease.

We are not powerless. The Food Bank’s Food Stamp Challenge doesn’t just ask you to try experiencing life as a food stamp recipient for one week — it also asks you to take action by telling Congress to protect this essential program.

You can also host a Virtual Food Drive, where you can shop from aisles of healthy food options to support the Food Bank. Or, you can donate food to your local food assistance program — the Food Bank serves close to 1,000 of them throughout the five boroughs. But instead of pulling that extra pound of pasta or that can of beans from your pantry, head to the store. Pick up some high quality protein; sardines, anchovies, tuna, canned salmon, foods with omega 3 that are appropriate for those with health problems…and while you are at it…get some peanut butter for the kids.

By Jacquie Wayans,

My story is very complex. We don't meet the stereotype. My three kids all went to Gifted & Talented public schools. I worked and attended Columbia University, School of General Studies to finish up my BA while remaining active in church and community.

So why were we on food stamps? Our family started relying on food stamps when my former husband was diagnosed with kidney failure and had to stop working. Our family was very young and I was a stay at home mom — not because we could afford it, but because we would have ended up spending more in day care, food and transportation than I would have made. So, I applied for WIC, Food Stamps and Medicaid. I did eventually start working, but then became separated and needed food stamps again.

Jacquie Wayans

After having lived through that, you might be surprised that I would take the Food Stamp Challenge. My first thought when I heard about the challenge was, "I can do that." It’s sure not easy, but sometimes it helps to remember where you were and how far you’ve come.

Here's an example of my life before I had food stamps: When pregnant with my middle child, I stood in front of a refrigerator with groceries that had to last 2 weeks. I prayed at that moment, knowing that it was not enough. That child's birth weight was 5 lbs 8oz.

When on food stamps, people I saw in the supermarket were often struck by how much fresh fruit and vegetables were in my cart. If it wasn’t for food stamps I would not have been able to purchase the healthy foods a growing family needs.

Working in education, I know kids do best after eating a balanced meal. If the Food Stamp Program is cut, children will be the ones who lose the most. Nothing hurts a mom more than not being able to provide for her child's basic needs. I am fortunate that I had a very strong church family during those times, but many have no one.

For most families, getting to the point where food stamps aren’t necessary is a big goal. For me, I always knew that it would be temporary. The transition off is hard because once you make a dollar over the cut off point, you're on your own and the loss can feel big. However, you keep on pushing.

Today I have my BA and a new children's book, Ambrose. And that child who weighed 5 lbs 8 oz is now graduating from high school with her eye on becoming a fitness trainer. None of that would have been possible if I wasn’t able to feed myself or my family.

By Lisa Hines-Johnson,

Today, Mother’s Day, is the third day of the Food Bank For New York City’s Food Stamp Challenge — a call to supporters to spend just one week experiencing what it is like to have to rely on a food stamp budget of $1.48 per meal. 

As I reflect on the challenge and how powerful it will be for people who participate, it has struck me how fitting it is to have this experience on one of the most important days celebrating mothers — as the face of poverty is overwhelmingly that of a woman and her children. I am also reminded of my own mother and our experience, as a single mother and her only child, having to rely on food stamps.

Food Bank Chief Operations Officer Lisa Hines-Johnson, right, with her mother, Gladys Pesante

It was the early 1980s when my mother lost her job after fourteen years of dedicated service to her company. I was young, yet old enough to know that something was different. My mother still got out of the bed we shared in our one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx well before the sun came up, but she no longer put on her work clothes or those high-heeled shoes that I slipped on while playing dress-up. My mom was now home when I arrived from school. We spent more time together. That was good. Nothing seemed wrong….at least for a little while. I found out years later that my mother was able to provide for us for some time with the severance package her company had given her. Once that money was spent, things changed. 

I asked my mother how she felt during this time of transition from a life of modest comfort to trying to stretch a dollar until even it begged for mercy. She shared that she did what she had to at a time when her options were limited. It was hard. She talked about the embarrassment that quickly turned to anger when she noticed disapproving stares as she paid with her food stamps. She wanted to yell out “I’ve worked. I didn’t plan for this!” She felt defeated yet thankful for the neighborhood grocer who was kind enough to allow us to get food that we needed and pay him later. And worried about how we’d get through the next week with the stamps — which were actually stamps back then — and other support running low. 

I remember when I first noticed that our food supply was dwindling which, of course, always happened towards the end of the month. Those meals always consisted of scrambled or fried eggs, French fries and a canned vegetable, usually beets. I remember sharing in my own little girl version of my mother’s shame, anger and sadness.

I also remember that, despite her situation, my mother always tried to do things that would improve our reality even if only temporarily. From odd jobs in local shops, to babysitting for children in the neighborhood, to taking courses to become a dog groomer and grooming the same three dogs every month, my mother tried with everything she had to ensure that I still had gifts to open at Christmas, parties to celebrate my birthday and a new outfit to wear on picture day at school.

As a mother of three, my heart aches for what I can now fully comprehend was my mother’s struggle during this period in our lives. As someone who lived the Food Stamp Challenge and never thought she’d have to, my mother told me how important she feels it is for people who participate in this experience to talk about it so that others might know how urgently the people who rely on food stamps need this support to get through the next month, the next meal. My mother and I hope that this challenge might inspire more people to join the larger discussion around poverty and what needs to be done to move people back into the lives they had, or the ones they dream of having.

Lisa Hines-Johnson is the Food Bank For New York City's Chief Operating Officer.

By Triada Stampas,

Last week saw major developments in the Farm Bill, the federal legislation that sets funding and policy for safety net nutrition programs as well as agriculture and conservation programs for a five-year period. The Senate Agriculture Committee voted to approve a draft Farm Bill that would cut $4.5 billion from food stamp (SNAP) benefits.

In New York City, this cut would reduce the monthly SNAP allotments of 190,000 low-income households living in public housing or receiving federal Section 8 housing vouchers. (The average income of a household living in public housing in New York City is less than $23,000.) 

New York’s only member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Kirsten Gillibrand, voted against this bill on the grounds that it would harm some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers, and will be bringing an amendment to the Senate floor to protect children in SNAP households from cuts that may remain in the final bill.

The Senate Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill draft does make improvements to the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which provides the main source of food to our city’s soup kitchens and food pantries. The improvements appear significant on first glance — adding $150 million in mandatory funding and giving the federal government explicit authority to purchase additional TEFAP food in response to increases in need. However, TEFAP has already lost $175 million this year. It is clear that, on balance, emergency food providers will be coping with even fewer resources to confront the increased need created by cuts to SNAP.

What happens next? The bill will be brought to the floor of the Senate, where our legislators will have the opportunity to offer additional amendments before they vote on it. The House of Representatives must also develop and approve its version of the Farm Bill; the difference between each chamber’s version must then be reconciled and a consensus proposal adopted.

What can you do?

1. Call your Senators and Representatives and let them know cuts to SNAP are not acceptable
2. Join Mario Batali and take the Food Stamp Challenge to raise awareness about this critical lifeline.
3. Spread the word to your family, friends and coworkers using the Share button below.

By David McCoy,

W-2, 1099, 1098-T, 1040, 1040-EZ. If you are like me the numbers on these forms may stir up anxiety or confusion. So what do we do? We stop by H&R Block or Jackson-Hewitt and, in the process, spend sometimes hundreds of dollars hoping that this help will lead to a bigger tax return. Whether or not you can afford that assistance, the reality of tax season descends on us all every January and hangs like a dark cloud over our heads, often until the last minute of April 15.

Last year, the Food Bank's Free Income Tax Assistance program helped bring more than $65 million to low-income New Yorkers

For some of New York's most vulnerable, there is another option, where people can get high quality tax services without any added cost. That's right: FREE. The Food Bank's free tax services provide assistance from thousands of IRS-certified volunteer tax preparers who help qualifying New Yorkers get the most out of their tax returns. And, with fourteen sites spread throughout the five boroughs, experts are just around the corner.

Last year, the Food Bank's Free Income Tax Assistance Program completed more than 37,000 tax returns New York City's working poor — helping to bring more than $65 million in tax refunds and credits back into the city. Our program is not only putting money back into the pockets of low-income New Yorkers — we also help move New Yorkers toward greater economic self-sufficiency by providing eligible households with access to bank accounts, food stamps, health insurance information and SaveUSA accounts — a savings incentive program offered in limited locations in New York City.

So spread the word with the Share button below, check the eligibility requirements and stop by and visit your friendly, neighborhood Food Bank tax preparer.
 

By Dominique R. Jones,

It’s tax season. And undoubtedly, millions across the country have one thing on their mind…REFUND.  And why shouldn’t they? A refund can hold the promise of financial relief — life a little bit easier — and maybe even a month or two when struggling families don’t have to choose between paying rent or buying food.

Just last week, Mayor Bloomberg hosted a press conference at one of the Food Bank’s FREE income tax assistance sites in Corona Queens to commend programs like ours, especially in partnership with SaveUSA.

Food Bank President and CEO Margarette Purvis with Ray, a Food Bank tax client who built a savings through SaveUSA

Media and attendees had an opportunity to meet a four-year client of the Food Bank’s income tax assistance program, Ray. Ray has benefitted from the Earned Income Tax Credit which provides additional return monies to filers at a vulnerable income level. Last year however, Ray had the opportunity to participate in SaveUSA, a new program to encourage saving. Ray deposited money from his refund into a SaveUSA account and in one year, the program matched every $2 saved with $1 return. Now Ray joked that a 50 percent return on investment was better than any rate on Wall Street, but the real value is in the dignity and empowerment that comes with those savings. Ray can finally buy his son the new pair of sneakers he’d been waiting on.

At the Food Bank, our goal is not just to fight hunger, but to fight the conditions that LEAD TO hunger. We don’t JUST want to help our neighbors keep food on the table, though that’s pretty important. We want them to have the opportunity to rise out of poverty and become self-sufficient. I am very proud of the Food Bank’s Free Income Tax Services program. Our tax service sites do more than just help New Yorkers file their tax returns — helping bring $65 million in refunds and credits to NYC — we do EVERYTHING we can to help, from making referrals to our food stamp specialists, providing health insurance information AND, you guessed it, connecting our clients to SaveUSA.

Dominique R. Jones is Chief Program Officer at the Food Bank For New York City.

By Triada Stampas,

Right now, Congress is considering legislation that would cut off a critical source of support provided by the Child Tax Credit to our most vulnerable working families.

At a time when one in five children relies on soup kitchens and food pantries in NYC, this legislation would deny cash refunds that the Child Tax Credit provides to working immigrants who file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) instead of Social Security Numbers. Cutting the credit means increasing taxes on millions of struggling, working families across the country.

Cash refunds received by tax-paying immigrants through the Child Tax Credit help some of our most vulnerable families keep food no the table. Act now >

More than half of low-income households with children in New York City struggle to afford food. Last year, ITIN filers who accessed the Food Bank’s Free Income Tax Services had an average household income of $10,800 and received, on average, $1,160 in Child Tax Credits — a significant boost for low-income working people struggling to raise children in New York City.

Simply put, the Child Tax Credit helps keep food on the table for working families. The decision is now in the hands of a Congressional “conference committee” of House and Senate members — and their decision is expected soon! 

Tell Congress: Protect the Child Tax Credit. Protect our most vulnerable children.

By Triada Stampas,

In his State of the State address, Governor Andrew Cuomo called for New York City to end the practice of finger-imaging for food stamps — a practice that stigmatizes the program and acts as a barrier to participation.

Throughout the U.S., only New York City and the state of Arizona continue to require finger-imaging, as other cost-effective, reliable fraud detection and prevention methods are in use in New York State and across the country.

With such great need in New York — nearly three million people struggle to afford food in NYC alone — and with alternate measures readily available, our neighbors cannot wait any longer for this stigmatizing and burdensome requirement to end.

With the Governor's recent statements, an end to this practice is finally in sight. We hope you will join us in our call to Albany: Let's end finger-imaging for all food stamp applicants NOW! Please act today!
 

Newt Gingrich's labeling of President Barack Obama as the "best food stamp president in American history" drew a sharp rebuke from the White House this week, underscoring how the federal food assistance program has again become a flashpoint in national politics. The New York State food stamp program received a boost from Governor Cuomo, whose executive budget would increase funding for food stamp outreach by $1 million, consistent his pledge to eliminate barriers to access. Also this week: Congress returned to session and prepared to discuss the yearlong extension of the payroll tax cut, with both parties hoping to avoid the partisan squabbles that marked the end of 2011. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing that obesity levels remain unchanged over the past decade, a finding that suggests national efforts at promoting healthful eating and exercise are having little effect on the overweight.

Campaign Renews Scrutiny of Growing Food-Stamp Program, Wall Street Journal, 1/17
Newt Gingrich continued his attack on the White House and SNAP, saying President Obama had boosted the rolls by opposing "American jobs" and failing to spur economic growth. The program's supporters say SNAP is efficient and effective. Kevin Concannon, the USDA's undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services, said the program has grown, as it was supposed to, because of the economic downturn, not because the Obama administration had adopted policies to expand its rolls, as Mr. Gingrich has suggested. 

The 311 on Food Stamps: What You Need To Know, MetroFocus, 1/18
It's an undeniable fact that millions of New Yorkers are hungry and need assistance to feed their families. More than 3 million a month, to be exact. But just how to help is a contentious issue. Here's what you should know about Food Stamps in New York.

Parties Confident of Extending Payroll Tax Cut, New York Times, 1/17
Republicans and Democrats say passage of a yearlong extension should go smoothly, and they vowed not to have another 11th-hour crisis before the temporary extension expires at the end of February. "We feel all the concessions going forward need to come from them," said one senior Senate Democratic official.

Obesity Rates Stall, But No Decline, New York Times, 1/17
After two decades of steady increases, obesity rates in adults and children in the United States have remained largely unchanged during the past 12 years, signaling that the country will be dealing with the health consequences of obesity for years to come.

Farmers want agriculture bill to keep safety net: Reuters survey, Reuters, 1/13
Farmers think Congress should seek cuts in agricultural spending but protect growers from volatile prices and low yields by retaining a safety net when it writes a new farm law this year, a Reuters survey released on Wednesday found. Almost half of the survey participants supported shifting the emphasis of the farm program to protecting farms from revenue loss rather than setting prices.