Think You Could Survive on $4 a Day? Here's Your Chance to Find Out

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​It's a dare meant to get you thinking: Could you eat on just $4 a day? Next week, the Hunger Challenge will be asking folks to do just that. Four bucks is the average amount a food stamp recipient in Cali gets for daily sustenance -- tough to imagine surviving (not to mention rustling up something even vaguely tasty) on such meager funds.

The Hunger Challenge is a project of local food banks, bloggers (including Cooking with Amy's Amy Sherman, who gave us the heads up), CBS 5 ConsumerWatch reporter Sue Kwon, and recipe developers. Kwon will float cost-effective recipes during the challenge (let's hope they don't include the words "Top Ramen"). Organizers hope to raise awareness and donations -- last year, Tyson Foods donated 200,000 pounds of protein to Bay Area food banks. One fact that leaves us a little breathless: A 20 spot can translate into $180 worth of groceries via the San Francisco Food Bank.

If you feel up for trying the Hunger Challenge for a day, or even the whole week of September 20-26, e-mail HungerChallenge@SFFB.org so organizers can add your experiences to the event blog.