Mayor of Newark on Food Stamps?

I chose to write my research paper on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.  Since writing my draft last week, the issue seems to have taken the hot seat.  Every day there seems to be a new article about the SNAP program and the fiscal cliff.

Corey Booker, the mayor of Newark decided to voice his opinion in a unique way.  Rather than posting tweets or holding a news conference about the SNAP program, Mayor Booker decided that he would live on the SNAP budget for a week.  This way, he could see what it is really like.

Mayor Booker is currently on his second day of the challenge and living on about $30 dollars of food a week.  Booker is a vegetarian and has filled his stomach with chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables.  He wants to debunk the myth that people on food stamps are wasting the money on unhealthy food.  He stated that that "was not what he has observed."

I can't imagine that Corey Booker will make many friends with this display. To food stamp participants, this seems like a slap in the face.  He decides for ONE week that he is going to live off of a SNAP budget so he can see what it is like?  How can he truly get an idea for what it is like to live on $5 of food a day, when he knows that in five days he can eat whatever he wants?  It is not out of necessity, but rather more like a diet.  

Opponents of the food stamp program can use the same argument; "Of course it is effective for one week..." I understand what the Mayor is trying to do here, but what is needed to make SNAP more effective is a change in policies and climate.  A social media stunt is not going to bring a solution to a such a deep-rooted issue in society.