The Press Enterprise - Congress: Aguilar, Wife Eat on $4.73 a Day

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by Jeff Horseman

Rep. Pete Aguliar, D-Redlands, and his wife recently spent a week spending no more than $4.73 a day per person on food to call attention to hunger in the Inland Empire.

The amount is the average benefit for enrollees in California's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to Aguilar's office. Aguilar, a former Redlands mayor who was elected last November to represent part of San Bernardino County, sits on the House agriculture committee and nutrition subcommittee.

"This was definitely an eye-opening experience," Aguilar said in a news release. "While my wife and I were able to plan relatively well, we only did this for a week. For families relying on SNAP, this is their lifestyle--this is every day."

"As the father of two young sons, this is very personal to me. Thousands of parents in our community, especially single parents who work multiple jobs, struggle each day to find ways to plan balanced, healthy meals for their children. This challenge really showed me that we have a lot of work to do to ensure that parents aren't forced to choose between what's nutritious and what's affordable. It's critical that Congress safeguards funding for SNAP and expands resources for recipients that helps them find and plan healthy meals on a tight budget."

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