Each November during National Hunger and Homelessness Week (the week before Thanksgiving), Hunger Free Vermont asks Vermonters build awareness about food insecurity by taking the 3SquaresVT Challenge. The 3SquaresVT Challenge seeks to highlight what it is like to eat on the average 3SquaresVT benefit—approximately $1.80 per meal for a single person.

The purpose of the Challenge is not to emulate the reality of food insecurity for Vermonters—many of whom may rely on a variety of programs and resources to meet their families’ needs—but to instead draw attention to the experience of living on a strict food budget allotment and how that may or may not change your daily life both physically and psychologically as a participant.

The many people who have taken the Challenge have learned first-hand what it is like to try to make ends meet on the average benefit. This learning opportunity is an experience that many groups take advantage of throughout the year—not just during National Hunger and Homelessness Week. For example, Dr. First and many of his colleagues at Fletcher Allen Health Care took the Challenge in the spring as a way to help understand how many of their patients struggle to eat well on a limited budget.

We encourage YOU to take the Challenge! Anyone can take the 3SquaresVT Challenge Any Time! Follow these steps:

1. Sign up to take the Challenge!

2. Review and print your participation materials.

3. Share your experiences on the 3SquaresVT Challenge Facebook page!