New York, NY —

A week ago City Councilman Eric Gioia undertook what is called "the food stamp challenge. He joined many public officials throughout the country trying to live off the average weekly food budget of twenty eight dollars. Gioia says he hopes to better understand the challenges of the life of a person on food stamps by "walking a mile in their shoes". WNYC's Kathleen Horan caught up with the Queens councilman as he began his trek in the footsteps of the hungry:

If this reminds you of the documentary "Supersize Me" it may not be entirely coincidental. Councilman Gioia has more than a food challenge in common with Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock - they were also college roommates at NYU.