I grew up in a family of 8. My parents had 3 boys and 3 girls. My food insecurity stemmed from the 3 boys. They were human vacuum cleaners. When they were in high school, my mother would line up 24 slices of bread on the counter every morning. My brothers each ate 3 sandwiches a day for lunch. After school, I would stand in front of an open refrigerator or cupboard and proclaim to my mother,” there’s nothing to eat.” The reality was there nothing I felt like eating at the time.
I think now, what if I was looking into an empty refrigerator or cupboard every day. If I went to school hungry, it was my own fault. I was too lazy to get up to eat or make my own breakfast. I think of all the people, children and adults, that go to school or work hungry every day. How would it feel for me not to know when I would eat again?
The Rev. William Barber in his book, White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy, discusses how the face of poverty is “every color, every race, every geography.” 135 million people live in poverty post covid and the numbers are rising. He also discusses the forms of prejudice that depict poor people as minorities or people begging for money. Of the 135 million, 66 million are white Americans. 95,000 people a year die from poverty or low wealth.
What I take away from all Rev. Barber talked about is that poverty and hunger are everywhere. It is all around us. It is our friends and neighbors.
We invite everyone to join us around The Table on Saturday evenings for a meal and a time of prayer and worship. There is also the blessing box on Coram Avenue in Shelton. If you are hungry, please take what you need. If you are blessed with a little extra, please leave what you can for others. Thank you.
Mary Dorland