Canada
Canadians Eat on $1.75 A Day: Can You Live Below The Line?
Chef Roger Mooking is shown in this undated hanodut photo courtesy of Food Network Canada. Celebrity chef and Food Network Canada host Roger Mooking is participating in Live Below the Line, in which Canadians are challenged to spend only $1.75 a day on food and drink, because he’s been in the situation of surviving on a food budget comparable to that of those living in extreme poverty. HO-Food Network Canada
Canadians Challenged to Limit Eating Expenses to $1.75
The Global Poverty Project in Canada is challenging the country’s residents to join in participating in its “Live Below the Line” project for five full days to draw attention to the problem of poverty around the world. Canadians are being asked to spend no more than $1.75 a day to feed themselves, a figure set by the World Bank as the level of extreme poverty experienced by many living in Canada.
Canadian television stars Aaron Abrams, Zoie Palmer, Oz Bey and Ennis Esmer have already committed to doing the experiment, along with American actor/director Ben Affleck.
From Monday to Friday, Live Below the Line participants have pledged not to spend more than $8.75 total for all of the food and beverages they consume in their meals during that timeframe.
They have been asked not to consume any foodstuffs that are already in their pantries or refrigerators although they are allowed to consume water from the tap.
“For a lot of people $1.75 a day is less than they spend on their morning coffee, so it is a step outside of most people’s comfort zone,” said Erin Deviney, Live Below the Line campaign manager in Canada.
“Often we’re asked to make donations or sign petitions and I think that this is that next kind of level and it gets you thinking and gets you engaged and it gets people talking.”
Participants are also not able to accept food or beverage donations from friends or family members to augment their $1.75 daily budget. For those participating, their new daily budgetary limit is even less than most spend for a morning cup of coffee at a local café.
To sign up for the campaign or find out more about the initiatives of Live Below the Line, visit livebelowtheline.ca.
On The Web:
Hungering for change: Canadians challenged to eat on $1.75 a day
http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Hungering+change+Canadians+challenged/8293925/story.html#ixzz2RqgJcg1Jhttp://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Hungering+change+Canadians+challenged/8293925/story.html
