Imagine going to the grocery store and having only $6 per day to fill your cart.
This is the reality for many people who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
SNAP helps reduce hunger, malnutrition, and poverty by providing monthly benefits to eligible individuals and families with low incomes to purchase food at participating retailers.
Take FRAC’s SNAP Challenge to get a glimpse of what life is like for tens of millions of people who struggle to put food on the table.
FRAC’s SNAP Challenge
WHO: You!
WHAT: Spend the average SNAP benefit of $6 per person per day for groceries
WHEN: March 18 – 20, 2025
WHERE: Spread the word on social, in your community, and with policy makers
WHY: Some in Congress are proposing cuts to SNAP. This would only deepen America’s hunger crisis.
The purpose of the SNAP Challenge is to raise awareness of America’s hunger crisis and to shine a spotlight on the inadequacy of SNAP benefits, which average just $6 per person per day.
For many who take the Challenge, the experience is eye-opening, building understanding, and sparking conversations about the need to put an end to poverty and hunger in this country.
That said, the challenge is not meant to undermine or minimize the real, lived experiences of individuals and families who rely on SNAP every day. This is not an attempt to be tone-deaf or to appropriate those experiences. Rather, it’s a tool to help more people grasp the reality that tens of millions face and to use that understanding to advocate for change.
While the SNAP Challenge is a powerful awareness-raising tool, it cannot replicate the full scope of food insecurity. SNAP Challenge participants often have advantages—such as stable housing, access to a kitchen, reliable transportation, and emotional distance from the chronic stress of poverty—that SNAP recipients may not. Food insecurity is about systemic barriers, such as inadequate wages, high healthcare costs, and limited access to fresh, affordable food. To build a nation free from hunger, we need long-term policy solutions and sustained public attention on the issue.
By participating in the SNAP Challenge, you can help get the attention of Congress to urge them to increase SNAP benefits and ensure that everyone can access the nutrition they need.
How to Participate
The length of the Challenge is up to you — you can do it for a day, a few days, or the full week. We recommend three days – March 18-March 20. We recommend grocery shopping on Monday, participating in the Challenge from Tuesday through Thursday, and using the weekend to share your experience.
Participants should spend no more than $6 per person per day on food.
Participants can buy any food and non-alcoholic beverages, except for hot foods (like hot rotisserie chicken), which are not permissible purchases with SNAP benefits under federal law.
Learn More About #SNAPChallenge25
Everything you need to know about how to participate and why it’s so important.
SNAP Matters: Quotes from Participants
SNAP matters. Learn why in FRAC’s new SNAP Matters two-pager, which features quotes from SNAP recipients on the federal nutrition program’s value and importance. Learn why proposed cuts to SNAP would be disastrous for people with low incomes by exploring the testimonials of SNAP participants.
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Think you could get three meals a day with just $6? That’s the reality for millions relying on SNAP. I’m taking on the #SNAPChallenge25 to raise awareness and push for real change. No one should have to choose between food and other necessities. #HandsOffSNAP
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$6 per day. That’s the average daily food budget for SNAP recipients. I’m taking the #SNAPChallenge25 to try to get the nutrition I need on that amount and raise awareness of the struggle millions of Americans face. Tell Congress: #HandsOffSNAP
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Grocery shopping on a $6-a-day budget? That’s the challenge I’m taking on this week with #SNAPChallenge25 to show Congress that SNAP must be strengthened, not weakened. #HandsOffSNAPInstagram
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Food insecurity affects millions of Americans, yet SNAP benefits average just $6 per day. This week, I’m participating in #SNAPChallenge25 to better understand the challenges families with low incomes face and to urge Congress to protect and strengthen SNAP. #HandsOffSNAP
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