Live Below The Line Campaign

   This is the part where most people say "I was inspired to do this by so and so." While many great people are sponsoring UNICEF's Live Below The Line campaign, I have far greater reasons for doing this; the main one being that I lived like this at one time. For the first eight years of my life all I knew was peanut butter and Jelly, Bandanna's, Hot dogs, sometimes a neighbor taking pity on a young mother with five kids would stop by with odds and ends after cleaning out their pantry. The food was always way past the expiration date, when you are hungry you don't care.

    I remember standing in line from youngest to oldest as my mother handed out bread and butter as a snack. We were poor and filthy; many times we would wear the same clothes to school because we did not have a washer or dryer, nor the "abundance" of money to spend on detergent, and as many of you suppose correctly we got mercilessly picked on. Kids can be so cruel and yet I don't blame my tormentors because they in all likelihood did not know any better, it was up to their parents to teach them. My mother is actually an avid reader of my blogs, and I know she will be ashamed in my relating this, however there is no shame in trying to survive while raising five kids, none-what-so-ever. I am not ashamed, in fact I wear my earlier years as a badge of honor.

   My siblings and I can count ourselves among the lucky ones. When I was eight years old my grandparents took all five of my siblings under their roof and helped to clothe us and feed us. In my mind we feasted like kings! There was always fresh vegetables from the garden, and always a variety of food (or Smörgåsbord as my grandma called it.). We never went to bed hungry after that. My Grandma always said to eat was what given to us because there are people in the world who don't have much and would gladly eat what was served at her table. So perhaps I am doing this to remind myself that I have not risen so high to forget where I came from as well as calling attention to world hunger. 

(My food for six days)

 £5 is $7.67. While I know I went over the limit I have found a way to remedy this: Instead of going for five days, I am going to go for six. I start this challenge tomorrow Monday and end on Saturday. 

  Today for one of my last meals I decided to eat at Burger King. If you compare the two receipts, one meal is about as much as those living below the poverty line eat in two weeks. (I bought a friends meal, I don't eat this much!)I did feel ashamed afterwards, what a luxury this is! An eye opener and I have not even begun the challenge yet. My plan is to post a blog a day for the next six weeks detailing my progress. I am going into this with a positive, open mind hoping to grow from this experience, and perhaps in my own way make a difference. 

Head on over to UNICEF's website: http://www.unicef.org.uk/Fundraise/live-below-the-line/