URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — Imagine living on $4.47 a day. For one in seven in east-central Illinois, that's reality.
Molly Delaney has fought hunger for more than 10 years. She started as a volunteer and donor at Eastern Illinois Foodbank. She's now the vice president of development.
But no matter her role, she's seen hunger up close.
"It takes a lot of mental energy when you really have to think about what you're eating and how you're eating it," Delaney said. "You may be eating, but you don't know where you're going to eat again or what you're going to eat tomorrow."
The SNAP Hunger Challenge encourages people to attempt to live off of $4.47 — the average daily SNAP benefits in Illinois. The challenge's goal is to increase awareness of food insecurity.
Delaney took that challenge Thursday.
"You have to be really thoughtful about what you're doing and you have to plan in advance," she said.
It's a challenge for some — but a reality for others.
"Everybody gets hungry," Delaney said. "You may not have food insecurity, but every human being understands hunger."
