Financial crisis isn't always predictable

Posted by Natalie Mepham in on Feb 5, 2017 Tagged:

I could be on FoodShare tomorrow.  It is something I’ve thought about before.  Some circumstances are beyond our control.  We don’t know what the future brings.  I recently spoke on the phone with a gentleman who was making $70k a year, but lost his job.  He was having troubles finding a new job and applied for FoodShare.  He had lived his entire life very comfortably and never would have expected to be on FoodShare.  I regularly hear similar sentiments from many of my clients.  Some have even worked at or volunteered at food pantries, never imagining that they themselves would someday be on the other side asking for help. 

Life isn’t predictable.  Medical situations especially can change the course of a person’s life.   I’ve spoken to clients who have gotten into accidents or developed chronic illnesses that prevented them from working.  Having always assumed that they would be capable of working their entire lives, they are troubled by the thought of asking for help.  It is not easy to go from being a working adult with a livable salary and money to spare to going to not being able to provide basic life necessities for oneself or one’s family.  That is why we at the FoodShare Helpline try to make the application process as easy and pleasant as possible.

Sometimes our clients are hesitant to accept help because they are afraid that doing so will take away help from someone who needs it more.  That is not how the FoodShare program works; there is no cap to how many people can receive the benefit.  If something were to happen to me, I could be on FoodShare tomorrow.  In my day-to-day life, I’ve heard the stigma associated with people being on FoodShare.  I think one way to undermine that stigma is by talking about the unexpected.  Few people expect to be on FoodShare.  Oftentimes, people who reapply for FoodShare after being off of it for a while no longer have their old QUEST cards.  They threw them out because they didn’t think they would ever need the assistance again.

It’s important to remember that most people aren’t living on FoodShare for years and years and years.  Most are on it for several months until they can get back on their feet.  It is supplemental income used when someone is going through a rough time, oftentimes unexpected.

Fighting Hunger is Fun

Posted by Natalie Mepham in on Feb 5, 2017 Tagged:

Whether it is through movies or music or games, as young children we are exposed to the narrative that we can do great things; time and possibility are on our side.  However, as we grow older, sometimes we become disillusioned with the course of our lives and feel that our childhood dreams are no longer feasible.  One major appeal in playing video games, for children and adults alike, is that players are able to be heroes. Gamers kill bad guys, save empires, or complete dangerous missions.  People who enjoy virtual realities sometimes feel like they are able to make more of a difference in those worlds than in the real world around them.  They achieve a lot of good in their virtual realities but find themselves unable to affect change in real life.  To bridge this gap, a few organizations are finding fun, mission-oriented ways to fight hunger.

One example is Hunger Crunch, a Mario-like game, which won Social Good App of the Year in 2015.  You can download it for free on your phone or tablet.  The object of the game is to collect certain items while stomping “hunger minions”.  You can purchase coins which allow you to buy power ups in the game; when you purchase these coins, 100% of the money is donated to feed orphans around the world. There is a similar app called Hunger Crunch Active, which costs $2.99 to download, but is more interactive.  It uses your device’s camera and microphone to detect your movements while you literally stomp out hunger.  Thus, it improves your health while simultaneously improving the health of children around the world!   If you aren’t interested in playing the game, but want to support it, you can sign up for a recurring donation of $7 a week, which feeds a child for an entire week.

On a local level, Rock County is working on mobilizing kids to fight hunger while having fun.  Kids Against Hunger Rock County Rotary Inc. hosts regular packing events to provide food both locally and internationally.  In 2015, they broke a record by packing one million meals in one day.  Setting a record to be broken like that appeals to those of us who are goal-oriented and mission-minded. Events are energetic and upbeat, usually with loud music and a lot of kids.  Plus, participants get to wear hair nets.  How fun is that?!?  The idea behind Kids Against Hunger is encouraging youth to care about their peers in need.  For more information on volunteering or hosting an event, check out their website.

As effective as efforts to make fighting hunger fun are, ultimately it comes down to individuals to decide to leverage their lives for good and find purpose in doing so.  Each individual has the ability to make his or her life meaningful.  Every day I tell myself that I am engaged in a battle of good versus evil.  Every time I do an act of good, no matter how small it may seem, it is a victory for goodness.  It is a cause for celebration.  That is how I learned to have fun in the fight.

Volunteering: Sacrificing for Others

Posted by Natalie Mepham in on Sep 3, 2016 Tagged:

So much hangs in the balance of one person’s decision to make a difference.  One of our volunteers just logged 348 helpline phone calls and 192 eligibility screenings. If each of those applications were eligible and applied for benefits, that would translate to 97,179 SNAP meals for our friends and neighbors. That was what was at stake in her decision to get involved.  

When you make a decision to get involved, it is important to consider what's at stake in your decision. When you volunteer, you donate your most valuable resource: time.  Volunteering, therefore, is one of the greatest sacrifices you can make.  When you volunteer, you put someone else’s interests above your own.  You are essentially saying that another person’s time is more valuable than your own.  That kind of sacrifice, especially in today’s headache of a busy society, is to be admired.  No matter what moral code you ascribe to, we can all agree that self-sacrifice is one of the highest virtues. 

It is not natural to put another’s interests above your own.  Anyone who has young children can attest to this.  Children love the word “mine” especially when talking about toys.  No one has to teach children to be possessive about toys; it is in their nature.  Conversely, self-sacrifice is cultivated.  Self-sacrifice must be practiced daily so that the narrative in your head becomes less about your schedule, your preferences, your vision, and more about others’ needs.  

But what do you get back when you sacrifice? A better community and a better world. That's priceless. By transforming your internal narrative, you maximize your ability to change the world. 

I am by no means exhorting you to neglect yourself.  You must maintain your own well-being in order to help others.  Rather, I am challenging you to become aware of your internal narrative.  Begin asking yourself what it sounds like.  How much do you think about yourself?  How can you think of yourself less?  How can you be more aware of the needs of the people around you?

Working with our clients, I often encounter self-sacrifice.  Our clients sacrifice their needs for their children’s.  They sacrifice their pride to ask for help.  Some have sacrificed their safety fighting for our country. 

Throughout our state, over 28,000 volunteers give their time, talent and treasure to local food pantries, meal programs, and food banks to ensure that our friends and neighbors have enough to eat. That's an amazing amount of commitment and sacrifice.

If you are interested in the call to self-sacrifice and have a passion for fighting hunger, we are looking for volunteers to help in the areas of administration, marketing, and communications.  We are also looking for volunteers to help out at our local food banks throughout the state.  Stop wondering what hangs in the balance of your decision to take action. This Hunger Action Month, take action! Fill out the form on our Get Involved page to get in contact with us about ways to fight hunger in your local community.