Congresswoman Fudge says she's always hungry on food stamp experiment

CLEVELAND, Ohio - A local congresswoman living an experiment that is the equivalent of a food assistance program said she's been hungry all week.

"You're hungry all the time, because you really don't want to eat too much because you want to make sure you stretch it far enough to get through the week," said Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH).

"Let me tell ya, it's rough. I haven't even eaten yet today because I'm out of bananas. That was my breakfast food," Fudge said.

NewsChannel5 caught up with Fudge on Friday morning at the Louis Stokes Veterans Affairs Medical Center on East Blvd. She was helping with the unveiling of a new portrait of retired Congressman Louis Stokes.

"You're always wondering what your next meal is, which is something I never thought about before," Fudge said.

Fudge began the experiment on Monday when she went grocery shopping. She had to spend less than $31.30, the amount the average food stamp recipient receives each week.

The amount works out to $4.50 a day per person, or $1.50 for each meal.

The congresswoman ends her food assistance experiment on Sunday.

"People who work all day, or have kids, I don't know how they do it," Fudge said.

Fudge is taking part in a national food stamp challenge, part of the "Fighting Poverty Through Faith, Working Together to End Hunger" mobilization campaign.

Congresswoman Fudge is one of 12 legislators taking the food stamp challenge. She told NewsCannel5 some Washington lawmakers want to make cuts to the food stamp program as part of the federal deficit reduction effort.

You can follow Fudge's food stamp experiment on Twitter: twitter.com/marciafudge and on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/spj4jH