By Ashton Brown

MILFORD — Last week, U.S. Rep. John Carney, D-Del., survived on a $31.50 food budget along with 25 other congressmen. Four dollars and 50 cents per day is the average budget individuals who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can use for food.

Rep. Carney took on the challenge to understand the food programs available in the community and what relying on SNAP is like. The U.S. House of Representatives is currently debating a farm bill which would make significant cuts to SNAP.

“Usually I just go into the grocery store with an idea of what I want and get it; but with such a limited budget, you have to focus on the staples,” he said. “We usually pick and snack throughout the day but that’s not really an option while doing this.”

He came to the Food Bank of Delaware in Milford Monday to speak about his weeklong experience. The Food Bank opened in 1982 and has 50 full-time employees but is always using volunteers to maximize their efforts.

“Last year, we had 15,000 different volunteers. All of their hours added up to having about 24 additional full-time employees,” said Patricia Beebe, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Delaware.

The Food Bank of Delaware, in addition to providing the needy with food, offers classes on how to eat healthy while living on a tight budget.

“People need to learn how to best benefit from the assistance they do get,” Rep. Carney said to the attendees of Monday’s class.

Before he started the challenge, he was not aware of the important nutrients many more expensive foods have. The first couple days, Rep. Carney ate mostly carbohydrates because they were cheap and fit his budget.

“Doing it for a longer amount of time would be really detrimental to my health,” he said. “I knew that meat was a source of protein but it’s expensive. I really could only afford bologna, and it’s not as good as I remember as a kid,” he said.

Individuals not only need to know the proper and most cost-effective way to feed themselves, they need to be informed to feed their children and family members.

“You definitely think about being hungry and have a kind of buzz inside that’s really distracting. Hungry kids probably don’t do as well as they could in school because they can’t concentrate,” Rep. Carney said.

Most of the people who came to Monday’s class were elderly. Rep. Carney estimated that 70 to 80 percent of Americans relying on SNAP are older and most are retired and have no way of making money to purchase food.

In February, the Food Bank purchased a $150,000 truck which they stock with food and call the Mobile Pantry.

Two employees work on the truck full-time and travel up and down the state. The Mobile Pantry has already helped more than 1,000 families.

Fifteen-year-old Liam Barrow was one of about 10 volunteers working on Monday. He was brought up volunteering because his mother works at a food pantry in Pennsylvania and both parents have encouraged him to stay involved in the community.

“It’s really all about giving back. It’s important to do things like this to help people who need more than we do,” he said.

The Food Bank’s Milford location is planning on expanding to hold more food than their current warehouse has room for.

“It’s really great to see the work the Food Bank is doing south of the canal because many people think it’s only an urban problem,” Rep. Carney said.

He plans on going back to Washington and discussing his experience with the other congressmen who participated.

“The bill in the House is very important, its SNAP cuts go too far. We need security for the families in Delaware,” he said.