David G. Greenfield, a leading candidate for the New York City Council, recently spent one week on a “kosher food stamp diet” in order to call attention to what he calls “the inability for families to feed their children on food-stamps.”

Greenfield cited the extraordinary difficulties Orthodox Jewish families face when utilizing food stamps, due to the rising costs of kosher food. The cost of kosher food is 20% to 100% higher than non-kosher foods.

Greenfield purchased one-week’s worth of food from Friedman’s Kosher Supermarket in Boro Park within the $25 weekly monetary constraints set forth for food stamp recipients. He plans on eating only the $25 worth of groceries for the week.

The more than 1.8 million New Yorkers on food stamps receive an average of $107 a month in assistance, which is slightly higher than the average allotment for the rest of the country. That comes to $24.69 per person per week, which is just over one dollar per meal.

Greenfield noted that skyrocketing food costs have only exacerbated the problem. In the past year alone, the cost of food for what the government considers a minimum nutritional diet has risen 7.2% nationwide. It is on track to become the largest increase in nearly 20 years, according to the most recent data from the United States Department of Agriculture. In addition, the cost of eggs has increased nearly 20%, and the price of Cholov Yisroel milk and glatt kosher meat has gone up 35%. Greenfield noted that because of the high cost, he was not able to afford either meat nor dairy products within his $25 weekly grocery allotment.

“The drastic rise in food costs has caused a bad situation to become even worse,” said Greenfield. “People in our community who have struggled to feed their families using food stamps are finding that the challenge has now become virtually impossible. What’s more, families who were able to survive without food stamps are simply no longer able to do so.”

When it comes to food stamp eligibility in New York City, the threshold for a family of six (two adults and four children) is an approximate monthly income of only $2,904. In order for an individual, such as a widowed senior, to be eligible for food stamps, his gross monthly income cannot exceed $1,107.
Greenfield noted that according to a recent survey by the UJA Federation nearly one-third of Jewish households in New York City were earning under $35,000 a year.
Greenfield called for a 50% increase in the monthly food stamp allocation and in food stamp eligibility levels in order to ensure that more people in need could benefit from the food stamp program and purchase an adequate supply of food.

He cited the increase in the cost of living and the rising prices of items that he called “the bare essentials” as the primary reasons for his call to action. He was also inspired by a similar non-kosher diet that Councilman Eric Gioia went on last year to raise awareness of this issue.

“The government needs to do more to provide real relief to families,” said Greenfield. “As the number of people who are struggling to feed their families continues to grow at an alarming rate, the government needs to lend a helping hand and prevent this issue from becoming a widespread crisis.”

Greenfield noted that there is no shame in food stamps. In fact over 1,000,000 households in New York State utilize food stamps, which is the highest enrollment that the state has seen since 1995. Over the past year alone, 55,000 new households in New York enrolled in the food stamps program, a total of approximately 103,000 people. Greenfield encourages those who believe they are eligible for food stamps to apply by calling 311.

“Hunger knows no geographic or ethnic boundaries, and it affects every community throughout the state, including the Orthodox Jewish community,” said Greenfield, “This is an issue that must be highlighted and spoken about so that people understand the magnitude and widespread nature of the problem.”