For 40 years, the World Hunger Ecumenical Arizona Task Force (WHEAT) has been tackling hunger in the Grand Canyon State through education, advocacy and empowerment. But there is one thing people are consistently surprised the organization does not do.“When you hear about a hunger program, the first thing you think of is food boxes and meal service,” says WHEAT executive director Dr. Tamera Zivic. “But we don’t do that.”
A Saturday-morning trip to buy a week’s worth of groceries turned into an unusually daunting challenge for Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Parsons is one of a number of Presbyterians who have committed to taking the SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge November 17-23. Participants in the Challenge pledge to use the average food stamp benefit—which varies by state—as their total budget for groceries.