Living below the line

Could you live on a dollar a day? For five consecutive days in April, that’s exactly what Hayden Slaughter did. 

The challenge came to her attention through her employer, the Slaughter Group, and its philanthropic arm — a nonprofit division named the Simon Cyrene Group.

“The mission of the Simon Cyrene Group is to put faith and creativity into action to serve God and to serve our fellow man,” Slaughter said.

It was through one of the group’s affiliated projects, an organic gardening project serving the Rosedale community, that she connected with a program known as Live Below the Line. After seeing a post about Live Below the Line from one of the leaders involved in that project, Slaughter knew it was a project she wanted to learn more about. 

On the eve of her five-day challenge, Slaughter, full of idealism, headed to the grocery store.

“I thought that it would not be too hard to get a good amount of healthy and filling food on $7.50, but I was so incredibly wrong,” she said. “I bought a carton of eggs, a sweet potato, a bag of brown rice, a can of black beans and two packets of frozen mixed vegetables. The grand total was $7.32. I was surprised I had made it under $7.50.”

Slaughter said the first day was fairly easy. By mid-week, she’d grown tired of her daily poached egg breakfasts and beans with rice lunches and dinners. It also took disciplined rationing of the groceries to squeeze out 15 individual meals, which left her feeling less than full much of the week. Slaughter also scaled back her typical morning run routine, out of fear that the limited meal intake would not provide enough nourishment.

“I usually eat pretty simply on a day-to-day basis, so I was used to eating these bland foods,” Slaughter said. “What I was not used to were the small portions. One sweet potato does not stretch very far. Day four and five were pretty hard because I lacked energy. I had been snacking on my leftover boiled eggs, but by the time Friday rolled around, eggs were not very appetizing. I drank a lot of tap water, and I believe that was a lifesaver. It kept me full and hydrated.”

By the end of the journey, Slaughter said she was humbled.

“The most unexpected part of the challenge to me was how eye-opening it was,” she said.  “Compared to what so many people around the world struggle with, eating below the poverty line for five days was easy. It really made me think about how much I truly take for granted. I would complain that I didn’t have my morning coffee while there are some people going on their second or third day without any food.”

Slaughter said the experience was also enlightening for its social isolation factor. She opted out of many social gatherings with friends because of the food and drink involved. She wanted to eliminate any chance of cheating on her commitment.

Weeks later, the lessons of the five-day challenge are still with Slaughter. She said she has already made several lifestyle changes and has increased her own personal philanthropy.

“I realize how I will buy so many things that I do not necessarily need,” she said. “I want to try to give back more. Working with the youth through Simon Cyrene, I have that opportunity — teaching them how to grow their own food and be sustainable and nourish them in the process. We can all make a difference in this world if we try.”