State Senator Jeff Clemens—Day 3 of his Minimum Wage Challenge

This is an entry from Senator Clemens' Facebook page:

Senator Jeff Clemens shops with John Roseme and State Representative David Kerner

"Day 3 of the Minimum Wage Challenge was an eye opener. I was lucky enough to spend some time with John Rosemé, who works 40 hours a week as a dietary worker at a West Palm Beach nursing home and another 20 hours as a security guard to support his wife and children. Even after the two jobs, John gets about $300 a month in federal food assistance.

John isn't lazy and he loves his work. But as wages have not kept pace with inflation, it's been more difficult to make those dollars stretch.

John has high blood pressure, which makes his shopping even more of a challenge. He has to watch his sodium content, which is generally high in cheaper canned goods. He buys bags of dried beans instead, which of course take a lot more time to prepare and cook. He has to avoid cheaper lunch meats, not to mention a lot soups like the ramen noodles he eats without the salty favor packets.

I failed in my quest to stick to budget, spending $21.66 on my shopping trip on chicken, milk, beans, noodles and bread, more than my $17 daily allotment. But I should be able to spread some of that food into tomorrow to make it work. John does it every day."