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Hannon goes on food stamp budget Hannon He, wife can spend $155 on edibles in next month By PETER WONG ASHLAND -- State Sen. Lenn Hannon, who's been on the Legislature's budget-writing committee for 14 years, intends to cut the fat this month. But the Ashland Republican's target isn't the state budget. He and his wife, Dixie, will see if they can subsist for 33 days on the $154.73 that is the average monthly food stamp benefit for a family of two. For each of them, that amount translates into 78 cents for each meal -- including Thanksgiving dinner -- from Monday through Dec. 11. "We eat very sparingly," Hannon said Friday. "It's an opportunity to get acquainted with people who are struggling to make ends meet. You hope to find ways to make their burden a little lighter -- and show them that somebody cares. "It also has given me a greater appreciation for people who have to rely on the system for food assistance. It doesn't give you too much flexibility." He said the subsistence excludes his two daughters, who still live at home. Hannon is one of about 10 public officials who have accepted a challenge by the Oregon Food Bank to live on food stamp allowances. Others taking part in the program are Gary Weeks, director of the state Department of Human Resources, which oversees food stamps; Bob Repine, director of the state Department of Housing and Community Services and a former state representative from Grants Pass; and a member of the Gov. John Kitzhaber's staff. This round is Hannon's second hitch in the Walk-A-Mile program that is overseen by Oregon Food Bank, based in Portland, and originated at the University of Washington. "It was started by a group of people to break down the barriers between policy-makers and the people they serve, particularly low-income people whose programs were being revamped as a result of welfare reform," said Kim Thomas of Oregon Food Bank. "The point is not to influence particular policies. The point is to educate policy-makers about the lives of low-income people, and educate low-income people about the political process." Thomas said a similar experiment was conducted two years ago after Congress passed and President Clinton signed legislation that limits how long a family can receive welfare payments. Thomas said Hannon has not been matched yet with a local low-income family, but will be soon. "The public is quick to criticize food stamps," Hannon said. "But if the public had to live by the same restrictions, I think they would find out quickly that the restrictions are tighter than they envisioned." Hannon said Thanksgiving 1996 was tough. "We had 23 people in our house and we probably used up the whole month's allowance on one meal," he said. "This Thanksgiving, my brother and his family will be back down here, and the kids and grandkids will all be here, so we could eat up the month's allowance in one sitting. What we do is try to spread the cost among everybody so that each one shares in the cost and preparation of the meal." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA