opportunity to take one of those
spontaneous vacations and so I hopped on
a plane and headed back east with my
wife I don’t know about you but I often
take pictures outside the aircraft I
don’t know why it sent photo anyway
thank you i’ll be here till thursday um
as they flew back east we got up to
cruising altitude the flight crew does
what they normally do come out they
start working the cabin a flight
attendant got to our row and she said to
the gentleman on the aisle sir tonight
our meal our flight includes a light
meal would you care for dinner he goes
what yeah that sounds count and Isis
said what are my choices and without
skipping a beat she looked right back at
you love a flight crew with a sense of
humor I think she had a sense of humor
you never know you know if I were to ask
that question here in the room tonight
what’s for dinner we would have a myriad
of response as everything from well
we’re out tonight let’s just go grab
something fast food fine dining and
everything in between for some of us
would be like you know what let’s just
grab something on the way home we’ll
whip something up or something in the
fridge some in the freezer we’ll we’ll
make it work choices would be endless
but for a large portion of our
population here in Southeast Idaho is
specifically here in Bonneville County
and I would very Derek see a venture
that even tonight in this very room
there’s a percentage of our population
when you ask the question what’s for
dinner they don’t answer with I don’t
know where do you want to go they answer
with yes or no yes when we go home we’ll
have enough food in the fridge or no we
won’t yes we’ll have enough food for
today but tomorrow and when the kids go
back to school on Monday we don’t really
know I know what you’re thinking welcome
to the party Danny downer right but it’s
a very real real problem we have on our
community right now so we have a
perception problem in our culture of who
is impacted by poverty who is impacted
by hunger and who’s impacted by by not
being able to live the life that we
really want to live there was a study
done recently
by the United Way’s of the Pacific
Northwest and it was a it was a study
determined to look at what this group of
people is that’s really suffering that’s
really struggling this report is called
the Alice report you may have heard of
this Alice stands for asset limited
income constrained employed and what the
Alice report did for those of us in the
volunteers sector that serve in either
food pantries or shelters or other
social services identified what we
already knew what we used to call the
working poor and what it did is identify
that there’s a percentage of people that
end the state of Idaho thirty-seven
percent of our population who fall into
either poverty or Alice category and
what that means is for the example in
the state of Idaho seventeen percent of
our population is right at or below the
poverty level twenty-two percent the
remainder for the twenty some odd
percent I can’t do math at this hour the
evening that are struggling they just
they’re good hard-working folks but no
matter how hard they try they just can’t
seem to make things work I don’t know
about you but on a global scale I look
at big numbers and I you know I kind of
glaze over so let’s take a look at
Bonneville County bonneville county has
a thirty-four percent rate of folks that
are struggling to get by and folks that
are in poverty and you’re thinking
there’s no way how is that even possible
where are these folks out I thought
people that struggled with hunger and
and poverty and all this kind of stuff I
thought they were just a different group
of people and you really want to get my
I are up call them those people but
aren’t those people homeless aren’t they
the ones who are on welfare and getting
kind of assistance in programs aren’t
those people the ones who are out there
just too lazy to do anything maybe those
people are the ones who just have their
hands out and all they want to do is
have people give them free stuff I can
tell you from experience we’ve been in
this industry for quite some time it’s
less than three percent of the total
population the majority of folks who are
out there really struggling are good
hard-working idahoans in bonneville
county that’s 12,500 plus households
just in bonneville county are identified
on the alice or poverty category here’s
who they are because you’re asking
yourself that question right now well
who are these folks there in your family
they’re your neighbors their your
co-workers there are people you go to
school
there people you’re engaged in
activities and sports all throughout the
area and there are people that that you
go to church with on Sunday as a stark
reality I know but I’m here to ask you
tonight to help us fix this problem
because I believe that if we can
identify who the face of poverty is then
I believe we can make a difference in
our community I have the privilege of
being on staff at first baptist church
in Pocatello and he’s not kidding this
clicker is touchy and I get to work with
an incredible staff they treat me great
we get to do amazing things in the
community and one of the things that we
offer is the food pantry at first
baptist church it’s open to anyone in
the community who needs emergency food
assistance if they if they’re hungry we
that’s our only question are you hungry
then commend will feed you and I was
actually at the pantry this one this one
thursday is open on thursdays and a
young lady came in with her kids said
it’s our first time here now when we’re
at that like what we call the check-in
desk here we don’t ask people to tell us
their story we really don’t need to know
we’re there to serve then we’re dead
love on them were there they get them
some food and get them on their way but
people tend to verbally vomit their
story about where they’re at because
they’re nervous they’re anxious this is
a very difficult thing for people to do
to step in and ask for help so she sat
down and she shared her story she said
my husband and I were both working we
had two good jobs and then something
happened within a short period of time
we both lost our jobs and now we’re out
of work and we’ve been trying to get
jobs we’ve been interviewing but we just
can’t seem to get hired and here’s what
she said next she said we don’t want to
be on unemployment we don’t want to be a
drain on society we want to have a
decent life so she continued to say that
they have been working hard to try to
get jobs and it was three or four weeks
into this adventure and she said we’re
down to our last few bucks the money
stopped coming in but the bills sure
keep coming so we had a choice to make
the money we have left we’re going to
take that money and we’re going to put
it toward food and just hope and pray
that one of these jobs we’ve already
applied for will come through or do we
take that money and we put it over here
in the gas tank and go and interview for
more jobs and just hope and pray that
the food
through being a man of faith I was kind
of excited to hear the word prayer so
hey can I continue to pray for you while
we get you some food and of course we
did our team does an amazing job they
they they treat people with such dignity
and respect and I’m honored to be a part
of that they got her set up they got her
connected got her some other resources I
don’t know how many times they came two
or three maybe but I remember the last
time they came like it was yesterday dad
came with him dad kind of walked in he
just hadn’t had that look on his face
like things are good and he just looked
at me he goes you know what we both got
work well getting back on her feet again
we just need a little help to get
through this month but once we’re there
if it wasn’t for you guys and the
resources you pointed us to we couldn’t
have made it so we just wanted to say
thank you the next time you do see us
will be here to volunteer and they came
back a couple of times and help
volunteer in the team was amazing that’s
why we do what we do that’s why I love
being a part of the scene you see we
have folks in our communities familiar
faces that they just go through life we
have no idea what’s going on the folks
that are in this category the folks that
are struggling these folks that are
working hard to just can’t seem to make
ends meet they don’t wear it on their
sleeves they don’t wear like a name tag
that says hey look at me I need help I’m
about ready to fall off but a lot of
these families are one decision one
medical bill one crisis one job loss
away from falling into poverty Nelson
Mandela said it best when he said that
poverty like slavery and apartheid is a
man-made problem but it can be fixed
with humankind he went on to say that
you can restore dignity this way
overcoming poverty is not a gesture of
charity it is an act of justice it’s the
protection of a fundamental human right
the right to dignity and a decent life
yeah
I was talking with Rebecca restrooms she
is the branch manager at the idaho food
bank in Pocatello they do an amazing job
in Southeast Idaho for agencies and for
folks that are in this position and she
says you know I had a gentleman come in
not too long ago and he pull up in a
nice truck and I struck butts like this
and nicer than mine Aegis unassuming
fella got out of his truck and walked in
and but he wouldn’t look at anybody he’s
kind of hung his head down and I need to
see about getting food bars and they
said I’m sorry what was that he said I
took a deep breath I need to I need to
inquire about getting a food box and
then he began the verbal vomit life was
good had a good job and when things are
going well what do we do we take care of
ourselves we treat ourselves once in a
while don’t we get a new vehicle we get
a new outfit we go on a we go on a trip
we do something to make ourselves feel
special so he did but he had a good job
he had a family they were doing well
gets a phone called dad we just lost our
job wife and I both and now we’re at
risk of losing her house can we move in
with you just to get back on her feet
got a good job not a problem move in
with the addition of the family and the
family members he was already helping
the house mouth count is now at 12 not a
big deal he’s got a good job and then
the bottom falls out and a layoff
happens it’s not his fault it’s just
business we’ve heard that yeah it’s just
business but he still has the car truck
payment he still has the mouths to feed
he still has the bills that are going in
see this is the unknown face of idahoans
who are struggling they just want to
make a difference they just want a
decent life but sometimes things beyond
their control get in the way but I
believe that if we can get our head
around who the real face of poverty is
tonight we can help make a difference
fast forward that same story about
November of that year an elderly woman
walked into the food bank and said
Rebecca can I talk to you for a minute
just sure just as in my son was in a
really bad spot a while ago and he came
in here and it wasn’t easy for him
he had to swallow his pride he was
embarrassed he felt like he was letting
his family down but he came in and you
and your team treated him with dignity
and respect game a little bit of
confidence back she goes we’re not one
hundred percent we’re not where we need
to be just yet but we’re better and we
know it’s Thanksgiving and we know that
people right now in our community it’s a
hard time we just don’t want people to
be without without a turkey so she
reached into her purse she grabbed one
hundred Olive Hill want you to go by
turkeys but she didn’t know was they
were about fifteen turkey short and that
covered the bill you see sometimes we
tend to think that this is the solution
to the problem this does help in an
emergency situation it allows us
agencies the food banks all the places
that like soup kitchens and whatnot it
allows them to go and get supplies to
help people in an emergency situation
but it’s really just a band-aid food
donations and clothing donations they
really are just band-aids to a bigger
problem I believe that this room is full
of the solution I know that because I’m
watching it play out in my life as the
people i get to deal with see if you
would just offer one simple thing your
time and expertise you can make a
difference in somebody’s life you can
affect 12,500 households here in
bonneville county you might be somebody
who is just wicked good at writing
resumes you know how to fill out a
resume that’s got that winning job you
know what a lot of folks really just
want to get a better job but they don’t
know how to write a resume that gets
them there it doesn’t cost money it just
cost you time to share your skills and
your abilities for some of you could you
could help people learn some interview
skills that are just laying the job in a
moment offer yourself as a coach make
yourself available they help someone get
a better job so they can learn a new
skill so they can get a life of dignity
maybe you’re someone who just likes to
likes to just help people cook and you
just like that you like to shop you know
get involved with the cooking matters
class with Idaho food bank or with
cooking things here in town that are
offered to folks they’re low income for
people that are struggling give them
your shopping skills help them learn how
to
to bill the grocery listen to use it
learn how to cook many of you in this
room if I asked you to raise your hands
you could you could do a budget in your
sleep you say the word budget to folks
who are struggling it terrifies them
show them how to make a grocery budget
start there help him build a household
budget so they can get back into a place
where they can start looking up in the
morning and say I’m going to have a
decent day I’m gonna have a decent life
so I believe if we understand fully who
the real face of poverty is if we can
get our heads around that but I believe
that when the question is asked what’s
for dinner no longer will it be yes or
no but they’re going to ask you I don’t
know where do you want to go [Applause]