The end of the month is always rough. Today I gave away approximately $990 worth of groceries and grocery-store certificates to 14 families. What we give out is designed to last three days, after which there's another 87 days before they're eligible to come back for food from us. I've been meaning to test out our 3-day design, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I would like to try to make just the items we give out in a food pantry last my household three days. Here's the list for a household of 1 or 2 people. I challange you to try it:

1 jar of peanut butter
1 jar of jelly (if available)
1 box of cereal or oatmeal
3 cans of vegetables
2 cans of protein-rich beans (e.g. chili, garbanzo, baked, etc.)
1 can of tuna/chicken
1 boxed meal (e.g. Rice-a-roni, Lipton noodles&sauce, scalloped potatoes, Tuna Helper, etc.)
1-2 boxes macaroni&cheese (based on abundance in stock)
2 packages ramen
1 large can or 2 small cans fruit
1 box plain pasta
1 jar of spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce/paste
3 cans soup
1 jello
1 pudding
1 paper product
2 bars of soap
$10 worth milk, meat, fresh produce, eggs at local Cub, Hy-Vee or Fareway

All of these items are subject to availability. If we're out of cereal or peanut butter or spaghetti sauce, which is often the case, it's just omitted. There's nothing we can do really. I ask people if there's special items they need such as tampons or diapers or toothpaste and if we have them, we'll throw them in. Also available is flour, sugar, and other random baking items, like corn syrup and pumpkin pie filling that we can throw in. If there was abosolutely nothing in your house in terms of food and hygeine items, how long could you stretch out the items listed above? Let me know what you find out...