Early this week we reported that Gwyneth Paltrow was attempting to feed her family on a $29 budget, to raise awareness for the less fortunate. Well, it looks like Paltrow, 42, was unable to complete her week long challenge.
Gwyneth Paltrow writes in her Goop Newsletter, “Last week, chef and great man) Mario Batali challenged me to raise awareness and money for the NYC Food Bank by trying to live on $29 dollars for the week (what low income families on SNAP are trying to survive on). Dubious that I could complete the week, I donated to the Food Bank at the outset, and all of us at the goop office began the challenge.”
Paltrow goes on to say that she spent a total of $24.40 on affordable food items such as limes and avocados. Unfortunately, that was not enough to satisfy Gwyneth and her family, and she soon realized how little $24.40 really is.
“As I suspected, we only made it through about four days, when I personally broke and had some chicken and fresh vegetables (and in full transparency, half a bag of black licorice,” Paltrow confesses in the same newsletter. She goes onto say, “My perspective has been forever altered by how difficult it was to eat wholesome, nutritious food on that budget, even for just a few days— a challenge that 47 million Americans face every day, week, and year.”
It appears that the challenge took a real toll on the 42 year old mother. After ranting about how unfair it is that there is not equal pay in the workplace, she goes on to write, “Sorry to go on a tangent, but many hardworking mothers are being asked to do the impossible: Feed their families on a budget which can only support food businesses that provide low-quality food…I’m saying everyone should be able to afford fresh, real food. And if women were paid an equal wage, families might have more of a choice in the grocery aisles, not to mention in the rest of their lives…Let’s all do what we can to make this a basic human right and not a privilege.”
We agree entirely with Gwyneth’s statement. Now, if only she can put her money where her mouth is and make a large enough donation, perhaps it will inspire her other million friends to do the same, and really make a difference.
And while we are at it perhaps we ought to share People’s report of more of hypocritical Gwyneth’s cheating!
Gwyneth Paltrow and producer Brad Falchuk took their romance tableside on Tuesday. The actress, 42, and the Glee co-creator, 44, dined at the L.A. restaurant Animal, which featured a barbecue-themed menu on Tuesday of pig ears, veal tongue and fried rabbit legs.
“They were sitting together, very cozy and romantic,” says the observer at the eatery. “He was totally rapt by everything she was saying. They were totally on a date.”
The dinner followed Paltrow’s announcement on April 9 that she had accepted the Food Bank for New York City challenge to bring attention to the struggles faced by families that live on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, which Congress has slashed twice during the past 18 months. It’s unclear whether Paltrow is still participating in the campaign, which involves living off a $29 food-stamp budget for a week, or $1.38 per meal.