By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER MANHATTAN — A pound of plantains and some cheese.
That's what Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez ate Monday as he began a five-day challenge during which he would only eat what he could afford to buy through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.
"OK for today but will have to plan ahead for time to cook later," the councilman posted on Twitter Monday night.
The "Food Stamp Challenge," an initiative set forth by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, budgets $4.33 a day for food on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before dropping to $3.75 a day on Thursday and Friday, reflecting a proposal to cut federal aid for the food stamp program.
"We cannot truly understand what that means for each of the 1.4 million New Yorkers who go hungry everyday," Rodriguez said in a public statement. "Not even this five-day challenge can show you that — but we need to draw more attention to what it is really like to live in poverty."
Motivated by Rodriguez's example, Washington Heights and Inwood residents joined the challenge, with various neighborhood Twitter and blog posts offering a flurry of tips on everything from how to use inexpensive scrap meat and bones to make broth to where to find the best bargains in the neighborhood.
"Very nice cheap fruits & vegetables on W.181st btw Wadsworth & St. Nicholas," akorn342 posted on Twitter.
With the first day complete, the severity of the challenge hit home for some.
Inwood blogger Zaida Grunes wrote on Manhattan's Peak Tuesday that she woke up "incredibly grateful" that "this is only a game for me, but for many of my neighbors this is their real life."
