HOW YOU CAN HELP---
-CHANGE JARS-many of our friends have gotten change jars from us, we used mason jars, old salsa jars, and even plastic cups to put in your cupholder in your car, to collect their change and then give it to help with our efforts to feed children oprhaned due to the AIDS pandemic in Lesotho, Africa in partnership with The Bana Project of Lesotho/Logos Global. You can even make your own.
-$2 A DAY-periodically throughout 2008 we will invite people to join us eating on $2 a day for up to a week and giving the rest of your weekly food budget to help feed kids in Lesotho. We had several families do this with us in 2007. A truly unique and powerful experience!
-Donations-you can send donations to ENCOUNTER (mark Africa or Encounter Humanity in the memo line) at
ENCOUNTER
PO BOX 841
ALABASTER, AL 35007
For more info on Encounter Humanity, $2 a day, or The Bana Project please contact Jennifer at jennifereroe@gmail.com
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Day 3
Breakfast....you guessed it...Oatmeal
Lunch 2 PBJ sandwiches
Dinner Cornbread, red beans and rice (good stuff)
This is another $2 bucks of food, so the total for the week will be (as it stands now) about $18 bucks for the two of us.
Not so hard thus far. tomorrow may be another story.
Lunch 2 PBJ sandwiches
Dinner Cornbread, red beans and rice (good stuff)
This is another $2 bucks of food, so the total for the week will be (as it stands now) about $18 bucks for the two of us.
Not so hard thus far. tomorrow may be another story.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Day 1
Not too bad today
Oatmeal for breakfast
PBJ (2 sandwiches) for lunch
Banana and PB for snack
Mac and Cheese for dinner
For some reason I am craving a donut tonight.
LESOTHO NOTE: Checked www.weather.com It was 23 degrees in Maseru Lesotho tonight (that's not even up in the mountains) Pray for these kids. We need to feed them and we need to raise money to get blankets to as many kids as possible.
Oatmeal for breakfast
PBJ (2 sandwiches) for lunch
Banana and PB for snack
Mac and Cheese for dinner
For some reason I am craving a donut tonight.
LESOTHO NOTE: Checked www.weather.com It was 23 degrees in Maseru Lesotho tonight (that's not even up in the mountains) Pray for these kids. We need to feed them and we need to raise money to get blankets to as many kids as possible.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Shopping for the week
Getting ready to go shopping for my two bucks a day.
Jenn isn't going to be able to eat lunch with me so I am taking 1/3 of $2 times 7 days out of the budget. She's going to try to eat with me breakfast and dinner. So about $22 to spend.
The list right now looks like
Oatmeal $1
Sugar $1
Margarine $.50
Milk $2.00
Mac & Cheese $1.40 (4 boxes)
Jiffy Mix Cornbread $.99 (3 boxes)
1 lb Red Beans $.68
1lb Limas $.82
1 lb Rice $1
1 1/2 dz Eggs $1.85
Peanut Butter $2.25
Jelly $1.50
2lb Smoked Sausage (to eat with beans and possibly on sandwiches) $2.25
That's got me at a little over $16
Considering Bananas, Tea, and Mayo as additional. Not sure yet.
Additional Note:
Just got back. Spent right at $16 did get some bananas, no mayo or tea.
Leaves me a little more if I need it, but not sure I will.
Jenn isn't going to be able to eat lunch with me so I am taking 1/3 of $2 times 7 days out of the budget. She's going to try to eat with me breakfast and dinner. So about $22 to spend.
The list right now looks like
Oatmeal $1
Sugar $1
Margarine $.50
Milk $2.00
Mac & Cheese $1.40 (4 boxes)
Jiffy Mix Cornbread $.99 (3 boxes)
1 lb Red Beans $.68
1lb Limas $.82
1 lb Rice $1
1 1/2 dz Eggs $1.85
Peanut Butter $2.25
Jelly $1.50
2lb Smoked Sausage (to eat with beans and possibly on sandwiches) $2.25
That's got me at a little over $16
Considering Bananas, Tea, and Mayo as additional. Not sure yet.
Additional Note:
Just got back. Spent right at $16 did get some bananas, no mayo or tea.
Leaves me a little more if I need it, but not sure I will.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Couple of notes that may be helpful for those of you joining us. (by the way who's in? who's out?)
Here's our basic shopping list from last time and a few additional ideas
Eggs $.88 (all prices pre-tax) used these for making cornbread AND hardboiled as snacks
Stick Margarine $.50 for oatmeal, rice, was more than we needed for a week but was smallest cheapest size
Rice $.88 (bought two bags but was too much for just two of us)
Beans
--$.68 Red Beans 2lbs
--$.82 Lima Beans 1lb
--$1.06 Black Beans 1lb
----ended up with 1 1/2 lbs too many for two of us, never made it to the limas
Oatmeal $.98 Breakfast
Tea $1.25 (again more than we HAD to have for the week, but smallest cheapest size)
Wraps or Bread $1.24 (we used wraps for turkey burgers but bread would go farther)
Ground Turkey $4.56 for 2.5 lbs made 8-10 burgers out of this
Iceburg Lettuce $1.12 for burgers, would probably forgo this for something with more nutritional value this time
Tomatoes $1.12 for burgers too. This was the first time I ever weighed a veggie to find out if I could afford as many as I had put in the bag
BBQ Sauce $.77 put this in the burgers and on the burgers (this was quite a luxury for the week, it's when we learned how addicted to tasty foods we are and how much a luxury taste actually is)
Apples $2.16 1.5lbs for snacks, sometimes split one combined with peanut butter
Jiffy Mix Cornbread $.33 I think we bought 4 and only used 3 (needs milk and eggs to make)
1/2 Gallon Milk $1.85 (it's a little more expensive now) used for cornbread and made oatmeal with it instead of water for caloric intake toward end of week.
Sugar $1.18 2 lbs for oatmeal again more than we needed but smallest we could get
Peanut Butter $1.38 Would have bought more of this with jelly and bread for sandwiches. Just a spoonful was a nice snack too.
Salt and Pepper $1 (bought those little containers at Wal-Mart)
This is what we bought and had 3 sticks of margarine, 1 box of Jiffy Mix, 1 1/2 lbs of beans, some oatmeal and of course tea, salt and pepper left over. Could have eaten several more days on this.
I know our tastes aren't everyone's. This is just what we did.
Here are a few other ideas from Roger and us
Two Boxes of Mac and Cheese with two cans of tuna make a mean tuna casserole for 4 for about $2
You can get a "Whole Fryer Chicken" (this is the cheapest kind we have found) about a 5 pounder for about 4 bucks but some butter, salt and pepper on it, cut up some taters (I would definitely buy potatoes this time) and maybe some onions and/or carrots and feed 4 people possibly two meals (definitely 1 with leftovers) for around 5 bucks total.
Spaghetti (with our without meat sauce) The canned sauce is the cheapest. Might even be able to afford some meat for the sauce.
Someone in the Roger Patterson Family came up with the idea that a Little Caesar's $5 large could feed someone for several days
A can of Refried beans (or just cooked beans) on a tortilla shell (corn is cheapest) makes a decent burrito You could make about 4 from one can for about $.75
Yes we are trying to raise money for the kids. But the added benefit is the experience for us. We are all very spoiled. We are all very wealthy (money, resources, access). And we all need reminders. Our kids need them too. Engage them. Get them to help shop.
We are starting Monday.....Please email me and let me know if you are IN. Email your friends, invite them. The more we have, the more kids eat.
Some of you may not be able to join us THIS week. We are shooting for another group doing this the week of July 9th. We'll need some encouragement (email or in person) from those of you that do it this week for those who do it in July.
Anyone else got ideas? Please reply and let us know.
Here's our basic shopping list from last time and a few additional ideas
Eggs $.88 (all prices pre-tax) used these for making cornbread AND hardboiled as snacks
Stick Margarine $.50 for oatmeal, rice, was more than we needed for a week but was smallest cheapest size
Rice $.88 (bought two bags but was too much for just two of us)
Beans
--$.68 Red Beans 2lbs
--$.82 Lima Beans 1lb
--$1.06 Black Beans 1lb
----ended up with 1 1/2 lbs too many for two of us, never made it to the limas
Oatmeal $.98 Breakfast
Tea $1.25 (again more than we HAD to have for the week, but smallest cheapest size)
Wraps or Bread $1.24 (we used wraps for turkey burgers but bread would go farther)
Ground Turkey $4.56 for 2.5 lbs made 8-10 burgers out of this
Iceburg Lettuce $1.12 for burgers, would probably forgo this for something with more nutritional value this time
Tomatoes $1.12 for burgers too. This was the first time I ever weighed a veggie to find out if I could afford as many as I had put in the bag
BBQ Sauce $.77 put this in the burgers and on the burgers (this was quite a luxury for the week, it's when we learned how addicted to tasty foods we are and how much a luxury taste actually is)
Apples $2.16 1.5lbs for snacks, sometimes split one combined with peanut butter
Jiffy Mix Cornbread $.33 I think we bought 4 and only used 3 (needs milk and eggs to make)
1/2 Gallon Milk $1.85 (it's a little more expensive now) used for cornbread and made oatmeal with it instead of water for caloric intake toward end of week.
Sugar $1.18 2 lbs for oatmeal again more than we needed but smallest we could get
Peanut Butter $1.38 Would have bought more of this with jelly and bread for sandwiches. Just a spoonful was a nice snack too.
Salt and Pepper $1 (bought those little containers at Wal-Mart)
This is what we bought and had 3 sticks of margarine, 1 box of Jiffy Mix, 1 1/2 lbs of beans, some oatmeal and of course tea, salt and pepper left over. Could have eaten several more days on this.
I know our tastes aren't everyone's. This is just what we did.
Here are a few other ideas from Roger and us
Two Boxes of Mac and Cheese with two cans of tuna make a mean tuna casserole for 4 for about $2
You can get a "Whole Fryer Chicken" (this is the cheapest kind we have found) about a 5 pounder for about 4 bucks but some butter, salt and pepper on it, cut up some taters (I would definitely buy potatoes this time) and maybe some onions and/or carrots and feed 4 people possibly two meals (definitely 1 with leftovers) for around 5 bucks total.
Spaghetti (with our without meat sauce) The canned sauce is the cheapest. Might even be able to afford some meat for the sauce.
Someone in the Roger Patterson Family came up with the idea that a Little Caesar's $5 large could feed someone for several days
A can of Refried beans (or just cooked beans) on a tortilla shell (corn is cheapest) makes a decent burrito You could make about 4 from one can for about $.75
Yes we are trying to raise money for the kids. But the added benefit is the experience for us. We are all very spoiled. We are all very wealthy (money, resources, access). And we all need reminders. Our kids need them too. Engage them. Get them to help shop.
We are starting Monday.....Please email me and let me know if you are IN. Email your friends, invite them. The more we have, the more kids eat.
Some of you may not be able to join us THIS week. We are shooting for another group doing this the week of July 9th. We'll need some encouragement (email or in person) from those of you that do it this week for those who do it in July.
Anyone else got ideas? Please reply and let us know.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Join Us!
What? Eat on $2 a day for a week
Why? To give the rest of what you normally spend on food to Encounter Humanity to feed AIDS orphans in Lesotho through The Bana Project.
How? Figure out how much you normally spend in a week on groceries and eating out. Figure out what $2 a day per adult ($1 a day for kids under age 10) would be. Eat on that amount for the week. Give the difference through Encounter Humanity to feed the orphans of The Bana Project.
When? Monday June 18th-Sunday June 24th
Why? To give the rest of what you normally spend on food to Encounter Humanity to feed AIDS orphans in Lesotho through The Bana Project.
How? Figure out how much you normally spend in a week on groceries and eating out. Figure out what $2 a day per adult ($1 a day for kids under age 10) would be. Eat on that amount for the week. Give the difference through Encounter Humanity to feed the orphans of The Bana Project.
When? Monday June 18th-Sunday June 24th
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
What's all this about?
We were looking for a way to give to those who have less and also have an experience to teach us about sacrifice. In doing some research we discovered that 75% of Sub-Saharan Africans live on $2 a day or less (In Lesotho it is 56% of adults live on $2 a day or less). Yes $2 is the TOP end of that statistic. We decided to try to eat on $2 a day each for a week. We figured out what we normally spent on food for a week, subtracted $28 (2 people x $2 a day x 7 days). Then we had the rest to give. ANYONE (that's not already eating on $2 a day) can do this. It doesn't take any money out of your giving budget to your church or other charities, no money from the kids college fund, it is money that would already be spent.
EXAMPLE: A couple decides to do this that spends $150 a week on groceries and eating out. They take the $150 and subtract the $28 and that leaves $122 to give. The couple makes out a check to ENCOUNTER with $2 a day in the memo line and gives/mails it to ENCOUNTER. Encounter will then send the money to LOGOS GLOBAL to support the BANA Project of Lesotho (www.logosglobal.com) . And literally, the food you did without, will directly fund food for orphans in Lesotho.
When your friends or children ask why you are eating this way, you are able to say, "The food we went without fed these children"
We chose to shop at Wal-Mart. I will be posting our exact shopping list later. We chose to not eat processed foods. (just a personal choice). But generally we ate oatmeal for breakfast (we bought a small thing of sugar for sweetening). We bought stick butter, a few apples, a jar of peanut butter, several different kinds of beans, rice, cornbread (jiffy brand mix), eggs (some for making cornbread and some as hard boiled eggs for snacks), milk, Turkey Burgers (ground turkey and wraps, we could afford tomatoes, lettuce, and barbecue sauce as our condiment. We bought tea bags to make tea to drink (along with tap water). We also spent a dollar on salt and pepper for seasoning.
Now some of you may have dietary restrictions (pregnancy, health, etc). I have a friend who needs to drink protein drinks as a supplement for health reasons. That's fine, just eat this way the rest of the time. It is of great value to learn sacrifice through this process. But don't risk your health. Your kids may have camp or school. Just eat this way as much as works for you to learn the art of sacrifice and stay healthy.
EXAMPLE: A couple decides to do this that spends $150 a week on groceries and eating out. They take the $150 and subtract the $28 and that leaves $122 to give. The couple makes out a check to ENCOUNTER with $2 a day in the memo line and gives/mails it to ENCOUNTER. Encounter will then send the money to LOGOS GLOBAL to support the BANA Project of Lesotho (www.logosglobal.com) . And literally, the food you did without, will directly fund food for orphans in Lesotho.
When your friends or children ask why you are eating this way, you are able to say, "The food we went without fed these children"
We chose to shop at Wal-Mart. I will be posting our exact shopping list later. We chose to not eat processed foods. (just a personal choice). But generally we ate oatmeal for breakfast (we bought a small thing of sugar for sweetening). We bought stick butter, a few apples, a jar of peanut butter, several different kinds of beans, rice, cornbread (jiffy brand mix), eggs (some for making cornbread and some as hard boiled eggs for snacks), milk, Turkey Burgers (ground turkey and wraps, we could afford tomatoes, lettuce, and barbecue sauce as our condiment. We bought tea bags to make tea to drink (along with tap water). We also spent a dollar on salt and pepper for seasoning.
Now some of you may have dietary restrictions (pregnancy, health, etc). I have a friend who needs to drink protein drinks as a supplement for health reasons. That's fine, just eat this way the rest of the time. It is of great value to learn sacrifice through this process. But don't risk your health. Your kids may have camp or school. Just eat this way as much as works for you to learn the art of sacrifice and stay healthy.
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