Given the increasing poverty and food bank use in Canada, some organizations are promoting initiatives called Food Bank or Food Basket “Challenges” to encourage citizens to get to know what it is like to live on a low income and rely on food banks. One of these is the Welfare Diet Challenge in which participant have a set amount of money for the food budget for a week. In 2017, that was $19 per week as per the welfare food allowance in BC. In order to raise public awareness on the issue of food security some organizations challenge media and government personalities to take on such as challenge.

Hamilton Spectator journalist Jeff Green took up such a challenge put on by McMaster University. Rather than a food budget challenge, his goal was to live on typical food bank provisions for 3 days. Here are his supplies (for one person):

1 loaf of brown bread


3 juice boxes


1 package of brown sugar


2 boxes of macaroni and cheese

1 can of beans in tomato sauce

2 cans of cream-style corn


3 onions

1 package of chocolate chips

1 litre carton of milk

2 cans of chicken noodle soup

1 can of tuna

1 large packet of instant oatmeal