I grew up west of Albert Lea with my middle-class family. My husband grew up mostly in the Albert Lea area and his family was poor. My husband and I talk about childhood memories and after hearing him talk about his experiences I want to help others move out of poverty.

My job with AmeriCorps requires me to volunteer in the community. I found out quickly that I really enjoy helping others. That’s why I started this journey with LPEP, otherwise known as Leaders Partnering to End Poverty for Freeborn County. If you haven’t had a chance to attend a community conversation or an event I highly recommend you put it on your calendar!

I went to a community conversation held in Alden, which had a lot of diverse people. By that I mean people of all ages and different backgrounds coming together to share what assets we have in our community and what we need to work on. I met a lot of determined individuals. It is such a great opportunity to build relationships and to be a part of “Lift one lift all.” We all shared the same concern for our county which was finding affordable housing as well as affordable housing for people with pets since pets can be a part of the family too. Also rural transportation offered at nights and on weekends.

Also, I realized that the food shelves may be missing something. We have a lot of amazing volunteers that put together these food shelves for families but do the families know different ways to prepare the food? We all know that the food options are not the healthiest coming from a food shelf. We should educate the families by giving them recipes using the foods they are given in that basket so they can have options when preparing a meal. We could talk about food tips and tricks for those busy moms, dads, and grandparents that only have 15-30 minutes to put a meal on the table or may not have a variety of pots and pans.

When we think of these great support systems we think about equality or fairness which to me means to give everyone the same thing. Picture this: Oprah Winfrey comes to our town to speak to a crowd while she points and shouts out, “You get a pair of shoes, you get a pair shoes, and you get a pair of shoes!”

When we look at these systems in place to help needy families we really need to think of equity which means to give them what they need or to look at the outcome. Now picture that same image of Oprah handing out shoes but instead she says, “You get a pair of shoes that actually fits you!” There is a big difference. Remember to help others as the holidays come closer and throughout the year smile at one another and make someone’s day a little better.

 

Shawnee Schave

Albert Lea