(Gluten-Free Girl’s recipe for homemade mayonnaise)

Well, Hunger Action Week is officially over!  We think it was another successful campaign that helped bring hunger to the forefront of many people’s minds.  Near 500 of you signed up to be a part of the campaign, over $1,000 was raised, and through  everyone’s conversations — bloggers, commenters, media, conversations — thousands of people recognized the importance of hunger and going without.  I want to send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who took part in making a difference!

Hunger Fact:

• In the state of Washington, about 1/3 of the people who are eligible for food stamps still aren’t recieving them.  The area with the most dispaity is King County.

Blogger Round-up:
*Some of these recaps are going to be longer than normal because our awesome bloggers wrote up reflections that are really interesting and worth reading!  I highly recommend checking out their sites because they are all amazing!

• Savory Sweet Life shared these thoughts at the end of the challenge:
  “One thing I’ve learned to appreciate about the UWKC Hunger Challenge is how it forces a person to look at food waste.  Its so easy to throw away food.  But when a family has limited amounts, its vital to use every bit of it in order to stretch it out as much as possible.  The Hunger Challenge also renews an appreciation for the foods I take most for granted.  For those reminders alone I’m thankful to have participated in Hunger Action week.”
• Salty Seattle made a lot of good points about the flexibility that one has when they have sufficient income.  Along with that, she talked about how food education can make a huge difference when living on a tight budget:
  “This entire exercise brings to mind the “teach a man to fish…” adage.  I have enough experience with food to recognize a good deal in shallots, chevre, or cannellini beans when I see one, and I know how to combine that screaming deal with pantry staples in order to make a cheap and tasty dinner.  It would be worthwhile to lead market walkthroughs for food stamp folk (yes, Seattle farmer’s markets take food stamps) pointing out great bulk buys that are money-saving measures in the end.”
• Mirch Masala had two posts.  The first emphasized the usefulness of making foods from scratch.  On the second post, she shared her thoughts on the week as a whole:
  “Another major thing I realized that I had this time was fear and anxiety – as in what if I’m not able to reach home on time to cook, how will i manage to cook if I’m not keeping well, what if something i make gets spoilt or burnt or i add salt twice without realizing or something like that and there will be no back up of a take out?”
• Kitchensink Unplugged talked about what she missed while taking the hunger challenge and she talked about how it had been a real eye-opener:
  “But personally, the challenge accomplished what it set out to do and more. We are more aware of the struggle that a growing number of our neighbors have of not having enough to eat. We are also more aware and appreciative of the resources we are blessed with: time, money, knowledge, etc.”
• The Hazel Bloom wrote on the tremendous limitions felt throughout the week and ended on gaining a new perspective due to Hunger Action Week:
  “But I didn’t realize just how rigid I had to be with my choices, and what a pain that would be. There was no budget left to stop and pick up a coffee, to change the meal plan at the last minute because black bean soup just didn’t sound that great (I was getting dang sick of black beans). Or to come up with something else for dinner because a hunk of cheese had gone missing.”
• Family Friendly Food shared her thoughts on how there is no impulse purchasing when on a tight budget:
  “With the hunger challenge on my mind, I could not stop thinking about the ease with which such a craving is an impulse and not a decision. It was something I wanted and could do without thinking about it twice, unlike when I took the previous hunger challenge….”  She also talked about ways you can take action around hunger.
• Gluten-Free Girl started her post saying, “We were never hungry. Instead, we feel humbled.”  She went on to talk about how her family plans on making due with less and wasting less food.  She ended with a video on how to make your on mayo!
• A Gorgeous Minute shared her day 2 and 3 thoughts, noting that living on a budget makes going out near impossible, “But the thing is, we’re going to dinner as a house to somewhere, so I need to spend 3 pounds only! Ay carumba! I don’t know if I can succeed on that!”
• Eric Rivera’s Cooking Blog shared two more recipes during the end of Hunger Action Week.  Along with that, he was featured on the Seattle Times article about HAW.  You can read that article here.
• Diggin Food finished up her week and talked about how she could have planned better.  Her reflections focused more on the harsh reality of people who live on a tight food budget:
  “The idea behind Hunger Action week is to raise awareness about hunger and the real challenge it presents to the people who experience it. Creating healthy meals on a $63.00 budget, especially without the benefit of a stocked pantry or a big garden, requires persistence, and creativity, and a lot of planning. It should also receive a great deal of respect, especially from those of use who are fortunate enough to have plenty of healthy food to eat.”
• D’s Home Food finished off Hunger Action Week sharing her menu and being grateful of the food she has.
• Cook Local gave some great insights about the week overall:
  “In some ways, it’s a game. Give a bunch of food bloggers a limited budget and see what they come up with. It’s not real…..Now I’m not saying that I’m not glad we did the challenge. I’m not saying I’m not glad it exists. Anything that raises awareness of the problem of hunger in the world is helpful. We’re thankful that so many folks participated and we’re happy that we got to be a part of it. But in some ways this challenge goes too far (the no pantry rule) and in many ways it doesn’t go far enough (only 5 days).”

  She ended on a high note, saying, “We’re going to take the spirit of the challenge and run with it. Look for more farmers market price comparisons here quarterly, as well as at least two recipes a month that will serve dual purposes (like the roasted chicken that turns into chicken soup the next day). We want everyone in the Pacific Northwest to be able to cook local, no matter what your income level.”

• Back to Basics shared her thoughts at the end of the week:
  “I can see how it would be difficult for someone with long work hours, tired, sick not able to devote time to planning, prepping and cooking or simply inexperienced in the kitchen [to complete the challenge].”
  She also showed her recipe for making home-made lox.
• Brian Calvert finished his week successfully but he had mixed emotions at the end of it all:
  “That’s what makes this victory bittersweet for me. I know there are families out there who manage on very few dollars a day for food, and I also realize that there are families who aren’t able to manage a few dollars a day very well. They are forced to choose between putting a few bucks in the gas tank and a nice meal. Any minor car repair or doctor’s procedure can through off the food budget for weeks.”

Other Hunger Action Week Thoughts:

• Our blog and Facebook continues to recieve tons of great thoughts on their experiences and what they’ve taken away from Hunger Action Week.  Just like the bloggers above, they are all well worth the read.

Thanks to everyone again for all their support in making this an awesome week!