Poverty, Food Scarcities, and Honesty: How Do They Relate?

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According to a 2006 report by the U.S. census bureau, an astonishing 12% of Americans are struggling to live on a day to day basis due to poverty or lack of food. This may initially seem like a low statistic, but think of it this way: over one in ten of your friends are likely suffering, and potentially doing so in silence.

I grew up in a suburban town in New Jersey about forty-five minutes from Manhattan, where I spent a good amount of my childhood. My mother occasionally worked, and my father had a new job every other month. There were periods of stability, but they were few and far between. From the outside, we looked like a "privileged" family, but we were anything but. There were many weeks where we struggled to put food on the table or water in the refrigerator and had to ration it between us. We were threatened with homelessness more than once when I was in middle and high school.

I was extremely embarrassed of  my situation, and rarely told any of my friends what was going on in my life. I was ashamed to be poor and I had such great pity for my parents, and it hurt too much to bring that to the surface. As an adult, I now realize that those feelings weren't necessarily irrational, but I could have tried and pushed through them. Had I done that and reached out to friends or other family members for help, my situation may have been different, even just a little.

None of my friends were able to tell what my home life was like, as I put on a strong facade. If you're reading this and can relate to me, I urge you not to do the same. Acceptance is such an important thing in life, something it took my many years to learn. The way I grew up didn't make me any less of a person, but it did make me have a greater appreciation for the food in my refrigerator and the new clothes I can occasionally purchase. Don't be afraid to reach out to your friends or family for help if you need it. We all go through hardships in life - this is just a different brand of one.

For those who may still feel shame or embarrassment and are elderly, Meals on Wheels allows clients to circumvent having to let a large group of people know about their situation. All Meals on Wheels clients' information is kept confidential and the relationship is only between them and their driver.

You can find out more about poverty in America as well as Meals on Wheels' privacy policy using the links below:

https://rcg.org/realtruth/articles/080318-002-economy.html

https://www.mealsonwheelspeople.org/our-story/privacy-policy/ 

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