For this blog we welcome a guest blogger, United Way St. Croix Valley Board President Tonya Lathe, who is sharing her thoughts on our recent hunger and housing summit event. Thank you to Tonya for taking the time to write this blog!
After attending “Transforming Communities: A Summit on Hunger and Housing in Western Wisconsin,” I realized just how important and beneficial it was to attend. I thought I was somewhat aware of what was going on and learned I wasn't. At one point I thought how wonderful it would be if these could be held more often and maybe in the evenings. In order to "rally the troops" to help the situation, you have to first make people aware and get them on board. I genuinely think that the majority of people out there are good people who want to help in some way; they just need to be made aware of the needs of their community.
Listening to key note speaker Dr. Julie Keown-Bomar I learned the magnitude of the problem we have. I was shocked to learn that 75% of people on assistance are actually employed. I also agreed with her comments 100% that in order to get these people out of poverty, they need an education. They can't survive on $10 per hour. I loved her quote she shared by Hubert Humphrey: "You don't have to save the world. Just save your hometown. It will all add up." This is something that I need to remember myself because I want to help everyone all at once and that is not possible, so it becomes easy to get overwhelmed and not accomplish much of anything.
In the break out session it was great to learn about Second Harvest Heartland’s Food Rescue Program. Hopefully it will continue to grow and help meet the needs of those in need, especially when the food was just going to be thrown away anyway!
In the Action Planning discussion there was a great deal of talk pertaining to how we get information on the programs available to the people. It does not seem like there is one central place that can lead people to the proper resources they need. It was suggested to start with a small community and try to develop a web site for people who need help with something as well as for those who are willing to help. For example, a single mom may need her leaky sink or toilet fixed and there may be someone with the skills to do this willing to volunteer their time. I think there are people out there willing to help, and maybe financially they are unable to donate but they have skills and time they are willing to donate. The fixing of the leaky toilet or sink would also save money on a water bill in the long run for the individual.
It would be nice to see society go back to a friend helping friend or neighbor helping neighbor philosophy, and I think this Summit was a great step in that direction. I am optimistic that we can work together to make the ideas discussed into reality for the citizens of Pierce and St. Croix Counties.
Tonya
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