It’s easy to assume poverty is just an economic issue, and that fixing it is as simple as getting a job. The solution to financial instability, however, is far more complex and often fraught with obstacles along an uphill climb.
by Aly Skiko
For some, mountains are a thing to be climbed, something to be overcome, conquered. For others, mountains are obstacles, something standing in the way. The exciting and scenic challenge or the impossibly distant barrier: It just depends where you’re coming from.
And, as I found out during a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains last fall, everything is different when you’re at the bottom.
It was alternative fall break, and I was co-leading a group of CofC students to Asheville, N.C., to learn about homelessness and food insecurity in America. While several students had some experience with these issues back in Charleston, many hadn’t seen the kind of homelessness and food insecurity that we were driving into. The next five days would be dedicated to learning about these issues, getting to know the local community that is affected by them and helping organizations that address them.
I had worked with homelessness and poverty organizations in the past, and my co-leader had a lot of experience with the Lowcountry Food Bank, so, together, we were able to give the rest of the group some background information about the issues at hand. We learned about the different types of homelessness, the challenges in overcoming poverty and reasons that some 16 percent of the population in most Southern states experiences food insecurity (i.e., they aren’t able to get healthy food options for themselves and/or their families).
If there was a lot to learn about the issues, there was even more to learn about the local area and all the factors at play within the local community. So, when we got to town, we explored downtown Asheville and then escaped to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a little day hike.
As we drove up the mountain, the crisp air and the rhododendrons seemed to welcome us. The mountains were absolutely breathtaking, and the views were incredible. The hike really made me think about my privilege in being able to experience these things – to escape, to just take off and climb a mountain. Especially when, down there at the bottom, the locals who are experiencing homelessness and food insecurity may never get the chance to enjoy the beauty of these mountains, even while living in their shadow. Thinking about that really made me want to make a difference in the community.
That started with getting back on their level.
In order to better relate to the population we were working with back in Asheville, we adhered to the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) budget for North Carolina. Most of the meals we ate consisted of rice, pasta and sandwiches (so, a lot of carbs). Every morning, we got up and prepared our breakfast before heading out for a day of service – and, every afternoon, we all felt a little more tired than usual because of the lack of protein. It definitely made me think about the difficulties of getting enough healthy food to raise a family on this budget. It was a real obstacle.
Fortunately, there are organizations out there trying to fight food insecurity. One of them is the MANNA FoodBank, the largest food bank in Western North Carolina, where we loaded up 1,000 bags with easy-to-prepare food for the food-insecure children in the organization’s weekend snack program. Because the public schools only give these students free lunches during the week – nothing on the weekends – MANNA steps in to provide them with enough food to last all weekend.
We also worked with the Asheville Buncombe Christian Community Ministry’s (ABCCM’s) Steadfast House, a place where women and children who are experiencing homelessness can go for a little stability and the tools they need to get back on their feet. At that living facility, we spent a day painting the kitchen and cleaning up the yard. We spent another day organizing the shed and cleaning the outsides of the windows for the ABCCM’s Veterans Restoration Quarters, which gives veterans the care and education they need to transition into civilian life.
While the purpose of the alternative break experience is to learn about issues facing the community and to perform acts of direct service, it also involves learning about the culture of the community we are serving. And we learned a lot from the poverty scholars at the Asheville Poverty Initiative, which educates people about the realities of homelessness. These poverty scholars, who had all experienced homelessness themselves, gave us a tour of Asheville through the eyes of the impoverished.
The tour revealed blockades everywhere you looked – even in the shelters. The truth about the shelters, we learned, is that they may be good at keeping people sheltered, but they are also good at keeping people from climbing out of homelessness.
For example, some shelters lock up at 5 p.m. and won’t let anyone in after that time. So, if you’re able to get a job, chances are you won’t have a place to sleep. That really made me think about how easy it is to get stuck in the cycle of poverty.
Most shelters also create obstacles for families: A mother, father and child are rarely allowed at the same shelter, which forces them to split up – often without the ability to communicate with one another. Even though the ABCCM is trying to get past that by creating a transition village, a place where families of all kinds can stay, it’s an uphill battle. And, in the meantime, shelters continue to tear families apart.
What I got out of the alternative fall break in Asheville was perspective. That day on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I realized that the views from up there were making really big issues seem small– that I had to get down there on the ground if I wanted to make a real impact on homelessness and food insecurity.
And, when I did, moving mountains started to seem a whole lot easier.
Aly Skiko is a junior majoring in biology.
Illustration by Andrew Thompson
