#IWasBornThisWayAndILoveIt

Okay I know this post is not about poverty (once again) but I feel the need to write about this.  So I just finished watching the latest episode of Glee title 'I Was Born This Way' and it was beautiful and awesome.  I don't want to give way the episode but the subject matter was loving everything about yourself including the things you wish with all your might you could change.  The whole episode made me cry and made me remember when I was in high school. 

I would like to think that I had a pretty cool high school experience but like any other teen girl I had my insecurities with my looks and body.  I was an honor grad, on student council, class treasurer, participated in the plays, was a part of the competitive speech team, participated in the plays, and voted by faulty and staff for Outstanding Standing Senior, and voted Most Unique by my class.  But at the same time I was very insecure about size and looks.  I was chubby and dark skin.  When I looked in the mirror, I saw an average girl, nothing special.  Even though I had many friends and have memories from high school that will last me a lifetime, there were many times I went to bed frustrated that I couldn't lose weight.  I felt that if I could lose at least 15 to 20 pounds I could get the guys of my dreams (which I saw on facebook not too long ago and could not for the life of me figure out why I liked him) or maybe I would feel prettier. 

It would take a lot of encouragement  and long conversations from my mother and sister to help me realize that I'm not average....I'm BEAUTIFUL.  It took my sister telling me how we are all made in God's image and if you are calling yourself ugly then you are calling a creation of God's ugly.  This has stuck with me until this very day.  Whenever I would start to tear myself down I would think about what my sister told me.  But just like the sneaky person that the Devil is, he will always try to use your weakness against you to knock you back where you use to be.  So even though I'm in a place where I love myself (both the good and what others might not find attractive), I have been tested.

There is an event in my life that very few people know about me.  At first I was ashamed to tell the story because I felt that it said something bad about me.  But I'm strong enough in myself to tell the story.  When I was in college I went out for a sorority.  I would find out a month later that I did not get it.  It would be the first time that I went out for something school related and did not get it.  I could not understand for the life of me why I did not get it.  I always felt like I was a good asset to any group.  I soon felt myself going back to those feelings of insecurity.  Thinking that maybe I was not pretty enough to be in a sorority.  That maybe if I looked different that would have chose me.  I quickly got rid of those feelings because I knew there was not a thing wrong with me.  I instead turned it around on them.  It was their lost that they could not see how awesome I am.  The love I had for myself help me bounce back for something I realized later that I did not need in the first place. 

I LOVE myself.  If I never lose one pound and even if I am as dark as a chocolate bar, I was born this way and I embrace it, just like everyone should.  What I thought was bad about me actually was what made me unique.  I hope this post reaches someone who really need it and also go look at the latest episode of glee, it will inspire self love also. 

#OffTheRecord

Every now and then I feel I should take a break about just blogging about poverty.  Even though I do feel it is an important issue and I do continue to keep writing about how I am tackling the issue at my job, I also want to write about lighter things too.  These posts will be called #OffTheRecord and will cover whatever is on my mind.

This #OffTheRecord is about my new apartment and my on and off and on again 5k training.  Some of you might now that I got a new apartment.  I LOVE it.  I am rooming with my bestie again (we roomed together in college for 3 years).  Our apartment is so modern and just has a fresh feel to it.  The neighborhood is nice and its affordable.  But most of all, I love the fact that I am rooming with my bestie again.  It was cool having my own apartment but there were times I would come home and wish someone was there to talk too (and believe we talk about EVERYTHING lol).  I have finally got everything moved in but now it's a matter of unpacking boxes and getting the other boxes thrown away.  We don't have a cable yet so basically I have been either reading or watching DVDs particularly Martin season 3 and 4.  It's nice to come home to a place of your own and relax. Yep, I think I am going to like it.

As I stated before, I have been training (kinda) for the 2011 Women Can Run 5k.  I signed up for it last month and have been able to attend a few of the running clinics.  Because of moving, traveling for work, and other random life mishaps I have not been able to go to all the running clinics.  But I have tried to do some running on my own.  Unfortunately, because of the rain I have not been able to run too much after work but I hope in the next week I can get a couple of practice runs in.  My ultimate goal is to finish the race, rather I run the whole thing, run some walk some, or walk the whole 5k.  I just want to be able to say that I finished a 5k.  I know that this is possible. 

Well, that is all I have for now.  I will keep you posted on more of my apartment, training, and most definitely my work and how we are fighting hunger issues.

#LowIncomeFamiliesArePeopleToo

Hi, all!! I know it been a long while but I have been trying to think of a good topic to write about.  I hope this is a good one.  This particular post has been on my mind for awhile.  One thing that irritates me is how people judge and dictate so harshly to those living in low income families.  Those who live middle class or above at some point thought it was their place to tell those who can barely make it how they should live, how they should spend their money, and what they can have and not have.  Now I do not condone living beyond your means.  But let's be honest, those who are considered middle class spend their money on useless things all the time (full price name brand clothes, multiple flat screen TVs throughout the house, breast implants).  Low-income families deserve the pleasures of having things also even if they are not necessary, right?

I'll give you an example.  Some people feel that low-income people should not have cable.  Cable is not a necessity.  You do not need it to eat, to live, for shelter, or to have clothing.  So those who are barely making ends meet certainly should not have it.  Well, those who are low-income do not need alcohol or drugs but they choose to consume them because it eases the stress (if only for a little while) of their problems.  Some people use TV for the same purpose.  I don't know about you but I rather someone who is having financial problems use Full House reruns as a stress reliever than a bottle of Captain Morgan. 

If you have not been keeping up with the latest on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) news, there might be new restrictions on what recipients of SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) can buy.  As of right now they can not buy alcohol, some prepared food items, and items for the house like detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.  But the new restrictions would stop them from purchasing sodas and some high calorie foods.  For those of you that know me know that I studied nutrition in school and so I know it's important to make sure children are getting properly fed.  But why is that low-income families have to stick to a strict diet and those who can buy their own can eat whatever they want.  All people need to eat better, not just those that are low-income.  Sodas, candy bars, and chips are okay if it is in moderation, as with any food.  The problem is not the Snikers or the Doritas, the problem is making them a regular part of your diet.  The kids of low-income families deserve a treat once in awhile too.  Parents (of all incomes) just need to watch how much of these treats their children consume.

People who judge those on Food Stamps (SNAP, I'm using the term Food Stamp because that is what it is most known as) or any other assistance programs really needs to educate themselves first.  A lot of people do not know that Food Stamps is an entitlement program, like social security.  Their tax dollars pay into that program [Food Stamps] just like social security so when they are found eligible, they are entitled to those benefits.  A great deal of the people on Food Stamps work.  Unfortunately, they do not make enough money to buy food and meet other financial obligations.  So they are not just "living off the system" because the Food Stamps program does require them to register for work. 

It burns my blood when I see low-income families getting jumped on so harshly by others.  They are just trying to do the best they can to make their household as close to comfortable as possible.  If that means treating their kids to a candy bar and chips every once in awhile and having cable then so be it.  They have the same right to bring some extra happiness into their homes as anyone else.

#SNAPOutreach:Education

These past few weeks, we have been doing a lot with SNAP Outreach: leading trainings, developing some sort of a follow-up plan, having to reschedule some trainings due to low attendance, and calling around to other SNAP Outreaches in other states to get some ideas. SNAP Outreach is quite new to Arkansas.  Because of its newness of the program, we are still having to wrap our brains around how best to implement the program.

I want to put a disclaimer on this post: this is my opinion.  I'm not saying that my site is not doing the best to implement a great program but these are some thoughts that are going through my head.  Again I repeat these are my thoughts in my head and not a reflection about how I feel about my site.

With that said: When we do our trainings, we basically teach them about the online and paper applications and  we leave it at that.  Now we are developing a follow-up plan where we are going to try to help them in anyway possible to get started.  After they get a good start with SNAP Outreach we hope to assist them with the progress of their SNAP Outreach program.  But what I hope to see in the future is that these hunger relief agencies move from just assisting with filling out applications and do both application assistance and education.

When I speak of education I mostly mean nutrition and budget education.  Even if you are not into health studies, you know of the childhood obesity epeidemic that is sweeping across the United States.  Studies are showing that the rise in childhood obesity is due to decrease in physical activity, the increase in fatty and sugary foods and the lack of vegetables and fruits in a child's diet.  I bring this up to say when the parents get these benefits they should have information about the right foods they should buy to be sure that their child has the most nutritious meals possible.  A part of this program is not to only make sure that children are eating but eating nutritious foods.  If a parent takes their benefits to the store and buy already prepared meals, high calorie snacks, and little to no produce, it seems the child is still starving; now they are starving nutritionally.

This leads to my next point.  We live in a generation where cooking has turned into a "hobby."  Young women are no longer in the kitchen with their mothers learning the fundamentals of cooking.  Because of this we have a lot of younger mothers who do not know how to cook from scratch or how to prepare fresh produce.  These mothers instead buy already prepared meals that are high in calories, sodium, and full of preservatives.  They also shy away from fresh produce because of a lack of knowledge on how to prepare them.  As much as I love to cook there are only a few vegetables that I know how to prep and cook (I stick to frozen or canned vegetables).  If these mothers had access to a cooking class that concentrated on preparing fresh produce I would like to say that more mothers would not be intimidated to buy produce. 

From our knowledge about SNAP benefits, we know that these benefits are not to cover the whole grocery budget.  But if we are being realistic about this whole thing, a great deal of those on benefits are having to use their benefits for the whole grocery budget because of an insufficient amount of funds.  Having some sort of budget class could help the families that are having to depend heavily on their SNAP benefits make their benefits go far.  This class needs to help them make those benefits stretch: how to use unit pricing, what is a deal and what is not, how to use coupons efficiently, etc.

As I stated earlier, SNAP Outreach is new to Arkansas.  We (VISTAs) are learning just as much as our food pantries.  Right now our main goal is to get the food pantries learn about the application so they can help their clients.  But as soon as we get the application assistance down, I hope they could consider creating education classes to go with application assistance.  The way I see it, helping them get the benefits is only half the answer to the solution. 

#AwSNAPOutreach

Okay I stole my title from another VISTA but it does fit the subject matter of this blog post.  One part of my job is to do SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program) Outreach.  For those of you that might be asking "What the heck is SNAP?", it is the new name for Food Stamps.  The point of SNAP Outreach is to increase SNAP participation so more people and especially children can have access to food.  In Arkansas, the SNAP participation is 77%.  This might seem but there has been increase in those seeking food pantries in the last couple of years and less than 30% of those going to food pantries are signed up for SNAP benefits.  So we are starting at the food pantries with our SNAP Outreach and catch those who are in need of food. 

A lot of people have their reasons for not wanting to sign up for SNAP benefits.  They feel it's a "welfare program", they do not want to get stimatized when they go to the grocery store, and some have had bad experiences at the Department of Human Services offices.  We want to educate these families that they are entitled to these benefits.  No one is stimatized for filing for their social security benefits. Well, it is kind of the same concept when it comes to SNAP benefits.  Your taxes support this program so you are bascially getting what you been paying for for years. 

Through SNAP Outreach we hope to overcome these barriers and get more families signed up on SNAP.  We want these families to understand that this program is to not to hinder them but to help them while they are going through those hard times.  A lot of families on SNAP have jobs but unfortunately they cannot meet their financial obligations and buy groceries. 

So far we have traveled to Fayetteville and Texarkana to do SNAP Outreach training.  At both trainings, the attendants seemed very interested.  We hope to have these groups starting SNAP Outreach in their agencies soon. We will be going to Mountain Home this week, which is like a three hour drive from Little Rock but its worth it if we are going to be helping families.  If you have any questions about SNAP Outreach or SNAP benefits, please ask me. I would love to get the word out about this program. 

#WhatIsPoverty?

So sorry about the long time between blogs been kind of busy working (and when I do have down time, I'm too tired to write).  As I have stated before I am changing the direction of the blog.  The focus of this blog is poverty and how I am helping to fight this issue.  But before we get into fighting poverty, I think it is good to discuss “What is poverty?”  First, lets paint a picture.

When most people think of poverty they think of third world countries where resources are scarce.  These countries where children have bloated bellies or children have ribs that can be seen clearly through their chest.  We have all heard of undeveloped countries where children cannot afford to go to school because instead they have to work to still bring home next to nothing for their families.  When we are up late at night, we see the commercials asking us to send $20 a month to help a family that has to walk miles to get somewhat clean water for drinking, cooking, and bathing.  This picture might make poverty seem like it's in a far away land.

Then there is the picture that portrays the reality of poverty: it is not far away but it is right here in the U.S.A.  Believe it or not, there are third world-ish countries in our backyards. Yes, right here in the “Land of Opportunity” there are people who go hungry most nights of the week, live in houses without indoor plumbing, and because of a lack of education will only be able to get low-wage paying jobs that will only keep their heads barely above water.  In undergrad, I remember watching a video on just how bad poverty is in the U.S. (if I can find I will post it).  In the video there was a man hunting “swamp rats” in his backyard just so his kids could have protein with their meals.  It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about him having to do this in one of the richest countries of the world. 

So after reading the past two paragraphs, one might define poverty as lacking necessities as in money, food, livable shelter, and other material things.  Some might say that it is deeper than that.  While attending training in Philadelphia, PA for AmeriCorp VISTA, we learned that poverty could be mental, emotional,  or lack of role models.  I guess one can have a lot of money but if they do not have common sense they could be considered in mental poverty.  According to this definition, you could have money, mentally and emotionally stable, but if you are lacking those in your life to help you make good decisions it could be seen as that you are living in a poverty. 

Now this is where poverty gets confusing.  I have heard someone say "I was an adult before I realized that I had lived my life in poverty."  So how is this possible?  It could mean that their families did not put a lot of emphasis into material things.  Instead this particular family could have put emphasis on spirituality, values, morals, or in some cases education (public libraries offer numerous classes for free to anyone that wants to takes them.), things you can obtain without a large amount of money.  In that case, poverty can be define as a state of mind: if you think you are in poverty, then you are.

After really thinking about it, there is really no exact way to define poverty but there is something that holds true: No one should have to go hungry where there are resources available for them to eat.  These resources could be going to food pantries, government programs that provide access to food (i.e. food stamps), or we as a community can start looking out for one another (this could mean starting a community garden).  However you define poverty, know that it does not exist in some far away land that you can detached yourself from but it is in your community. 

#NewDirection (not the Glee New Directions)

So I think that I have decided to take this blog in a new direction. As some of you might know (or not know) I work with AmeriCorp VISTA.  It is basically a less intense Peace Corp.  For a year I have chosen to take a huge pay cut (and I do mean HUGE) to serve communities in Arkansas that are in poverty.  My exact title is SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program or Food Stamps) Outreach Program Coordinator.  Ok, I made this title up for my self but hey I like it better than VISTA Volunteer.  I train workers in Food Pantries and volunteers on how to sign their clients up with Food Stamps using the online application.  So far my work has been a little overwhelming but it has also been exciting. 

This past week I attended training in Philadelphia, PA.  It was my first time being there and its a beautiful city.  I got to see the Liberty Bell (which is not that big) and the LOVE statue (which is also not that big).  It was really cold so I did not get to do a lot of sight seeing. But the purpose of this trip was to better help me understand what my job was and what was expected of me during this year.  In my job I am expected to do my best to implement a program that improves the conditions when it comes to child hunger which is in it's highest in Arkansas.  In Arkansas, 160,000 children are not being fed on a regular basis (http://www.governor.arkansas.gov/no_kid_hungry.html, 2010) My chosen program is SNAP Outreach.  Hopefully, if more families can get signed up with SNAP benefits more children will not go hungry.  At least that's our hope. 

I had a lot of thoughts and presumptions going into this job.  I went into this job thinking that I understood the poverty class and that I knew exactly what they needed.  I learned real quickly that I knew NOTHING of their struggle and I still have A GREAT DEAL to learn about how they got there and how trying to improve their conditions have actually made their conditions worst. Ex: If you make 1 cent over the poverty line, all benefits(Medicaid, food stamps, welfare) could be shut off in some states.  It is almost better for them [those in poverty] to not work at all. 

I have been on the job a month and I have learned some things about myself: I judge awfully a lot.  I could not see it before but I realize it now.  I would see a woman walking with 3 or 4 kids and could tell they were having a hard time and I would say "Why did she have all of them kids if she could not take of them?"  This is a statement that I know some of you have made also.  But while I should have been thinking of a way to make sure her kids were eating, I was judging her for her past.  I hope at this end of this year I will be more open-minded and not so quick to judge others. 

As I said before this blog is taking a new direction.  I have decided to tell the stories of those who cannot tell their story by going in depth about what my job is.  This blog will show what poverty is like right here in Arkansas.  When we think of poverty, we think of third world countries but a lot of times it's right next door.  Also I want those who are in my generation (90's generation) to really read this blog and be more appreciative and to not dwell on things that you don't have.  Why you are mad that you do not have the latest smart phone, some child has not eaten since lunch yesterday at school.  I want anybody that is reading this blog to read it with an open mind and an open heart.  Don't look at people in poverty like it's totally their fault but have compassion for them. Thanks for going on this journey with me :)