Dear DU, you encouraged me to write my story and share. So, I did. Please read *Small Edit/Update*
Last edited Thu Feb 20, 2014, 05:18 PM - Edit history (1)
Hi there! I've written plenty on here about poverty. The outpouring of support from DU has been beautiful and overwhelming. Several people here encouraged me to share my story elsewhere. I admit, the idea has made me so nervous....to share about poverty outside of the safe confines of an understanding place like DU. I'm afraid of the comments sections. 
Well, I dipped my toe in the waters and sent my story to a blog that focuses on the everyday plight of the nation's poor and offers solidarity as well as advice. I said if I ever wrote about it elsewhere, I would share it here. Please take a moment to read if you would like. Thank you to those who encouraged me.
"Today, I did something I never thought I’d do. I yelled at my son for being hungry. Oh sure, there are many parents nodding in agreement because they’ve done the same thing. Many have yelled at their kids for asking for one more snack right before dinner was served or for wanting to eat junk food out of boredom. That’s not why I yelled. I yelled because I didn’t have extra food to give him and I was taking my frustration out on him. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. He’s just a kid, a 7 year old who is full of energy and constantly growing. Of course he’s hungry often. That’s what kids do. However, I didn’t have enough food for anyone to have extras. Everything has to be rationed out over a week or more. Food stuff needs to be stretched. Already angry and frustrated with our situation, I lost my cool when my child asked a simple question – because I knew there was nothing I could do to change it in that moment. My anger turned to worry, another constant feeling in my daily life, as I wondered if this would create food issues in my child. Will he be afraid to eat, knowing that we might not have enough the next day?
I’m 35 years old. I am a mother and a wife. I am college educated, degreed, and I have held a professional license. I have been working since the age of 18. Until now. I live in poverty. I am poor. My family is poor......."
http://poorasfolk.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/jenns-words-living-in-poverty-is-like-being-punched-in-the-face-over-and-over-and-over-on-a-daily-basis/
The rest of the story is at the above link. It was just published this morning and, so far, feedback on the blog and the corresponding facebook page has been kind. Whew!
Please continue to vote for those who will fight to raise the minimum wage!!
****EDIT****
I want to thank each and every one of you who has responded. It means so much that my story is being read and shared, and that folks like me can see that they are not alone. I think it's also great that it's being spread around so people can see that those of us living in poverty are humans just like them - we're their neighbors, their friends, the people in their community who are just like them only less fortunate.
The response and the generosity has been nothing short of overwhelming. DU has always been generous with me in the past. I truly think we are going to be ok. I have a lot more hope today than I did yesterday.
Again, thank you to everyone who has read this, kicked it, shared it. Thank you for all of the support and the love you have shown. I appreciate all of you.
Let it be known that the response to my story is proof that there is good in the world. There are many days when it's hard to see it, but it's there and it's greater than we could have ever imagined. Good people truly exist. 
= new reply since forum marked as read
a kick - already recommended 
I hope life is much brighter for you now.
I'm so happy to hear that it got better for you. You're an inspiration and proof that the system can work.
Last edited Thu Feb 20, 2014, 04:13 PM - Edit history (1)
articulation of what many are experiencing. Kudos for your bravery in sharing what hell in amurika is like. I don't have children but live in the same world of poverty.
K&R.
I hope things begin to look up for you soon.
it's not easy but others do have it far worse than I. So far I'm keeping a roof over my head, paying bills... that's another issue altogether. Stress is hard to deal with whether you have enough or not.
My friend, who runs the Poor as Folk blog, added a GoFundMe account to the bottom of the post. The response has been overwhelming. I think we're going to be ok.
I have tears running down my face for you, Tree-Hugger.
I hope things start getting better for you very soon!!!
Has about 2,000 readers. Will post to BuzzFlash in the morning.
Very nice work. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you so much for sharing.
About to be mailed.
This place is amazing. This is the first place I ever publicly shared my struggles and I got such an amazing response. You'd never find that on a Libertarian forum. 
I'm sorry to hear that you are in poverty, too. Here's to things looking up for folks in our situation!
with the link to the donations page. 
I intend to share this on my face book wall. It needs to go viral. I, too, hope you can soon write another story--the one about how you and your family overcame.
I fully intend to write about how we rose above it all. I really hope I will be able to do that - and soon!
I think it's gotten a little viral. WilliamPitt here has BuzzFlashed it and shared it on his page. I have seen it on other Facebook pages.
That was my first instinct.
Sadly, there are tens of thousands in her shoes. You can read similar stories at wishadoo.org. It is heartbreaking.
As individuals, we can do something to help other individuals. That's because a connection was made between us. There are so many more people without those connections, even here at DU.
Reaching out to help is a wonderful gesture and I hope Tree-Hugger gets tons of support. I hope others in her position get support from other individuals.
But this is not enough.
This problem is too big for individuals. Only good government can make a difference. We need to fight for minimum wage increases, job growth, training, a strong safety net … all those things that soulless Republicans find so distasteful.
There is a gofundme link on the blog now. People have been very generous and I am feeling very hopeful. Things will be ok.
Another way to help is spread the word....share my story, share stories like mine. Let the world see that we are human. Let others see that they are never alone.
And of course, work to elect those who believe humans deserve a fair living wage and that the minimum wage should be raised.
As always, prayers are fantastic. Or, if you don't pray, any sort of good vibes, good energy sent to me and all those like me would be wonderful.
To spread this to newspapers. It's been spread around social media A LOT today, which is a very good thing.
I don't want to add to the "why don't you..." chorus, but is the school your kids go to by any chance a Title 1 school? If so, your children should certainly be eligible for breakfast and lunch for free or a reduced cost. I know for a fact that a lot of our kids wouldn't be eating if we weren't there for them. They may be eligible even if it isn't a Title 1. If you haven't already done so, please check it out.
We have had a lot of snow this year and we've lost a lot of school days. I always worry about the kids who depend on going to school for a meal. 
It makes me so happy to hear about folks such as yourself who help out in their community.
Now, if we can just work a way to get the snow to head on over to the mountains in California, where they need it, that would be amazing. 
He qualifies for free meals at school. I am able to do breakfast, thank God, and I am able to send him to school with a home lunch about 70% of the time. I have him get school lunches more towards the end of the month when our food stamps get a little thinner.
Poverty is SO CRUSHING. It just squeezes the life out of you... and by life I include joy, because of the constant fear and uncertainty. It is so damn sad. And there are so many people in a position to do something about it but they just don't care... 
Growing up poor gave me the qualities I am most proud of in my life - resourcefulness, resilience, empathy, tenacity, gratitude, and many more. I had decided at a very, very early age several things about my future. I decided that having too many children was not a good idea and not fair to the children (I had two and quit after that) and could lead to poverty which leads to stress. I had decided that I would get a college education by hook or by crook (I eventually went to college when my children were in elementary school and graduated at the top of my class). I had decided that even if I had a sufficient amount of money as an adult, I would live within my means because I knew that one job loss could lead to a hole you can't get out of. I decided that no job was beneath my dignity if I needed to pay my bills. I decided that sometimes you need to use little white lies to get a job. I could go on.
You are so right that it isn't a life if you have no joy. I find joy in the little things and always have. I also am thankful that my parents taught me the value of gratitude for the basic things. They always preached to us kids that you need the basics in life - a roof over your head, enough good food to eat, moderation in all things and my father's favorite, "stop worrying about what the Joneses have - you don't need to keep up with them." So, I try not to compare myself to what others have. I live in a neighborhood where most of us are in our senior years and this has been a pretty horrendous winter by anyone's terms. I know that many of my neighbors that are more well off than I am have places in warm climates they go to every winter. I don't have that, and sometimes I think if one more person tells me they're going to their place in Florida or Arizona or Cancun and asks me to watch over their place I'm going to cry Not really. Instead I come in my house in the below zero weather and give thanks for the heat I feel coming out of the vents. You see, I DO remember living in a "house" (I put that in quotes because it wasn't really a house but that's another story) with a coal furnace and we would run out of coal towards the end of winter and my father would tell us kids to go outside and pick up as many sticks as we could find and stack them down the basement to supplement the little coal that was left.
I will not cuss you out.
People keep telling me to file bankruptcy, but I don't think that helps in our case. We don't have credit card debt. Our debt is medical and student loans - and I believe bankruptcy doesn't kill loans. And then you end up with shit credit.
Your story is so touching and very powerful. Have you ever thought of sharing it elsewhere?
My son is 7 years old and he is aware of what's going on, despite efforts to hide it, which just kills me. I don't want him to have anxiety or insecurity. He is incredibly sensitive to the feelings of others as it is, so I do hope that he retains that as he grows up. We're trying to raise our kids the same way I was raised - to be compassionate and empathetic towards your fellow humans.
You have a tremendous amount of insight and I hope you have healed from your experiences with poverty as a child.
It shows through your words.
I think my little guy will do well. He's so, so smart and so perceptive. I always worry that this will damage him, but you really give me help that he'll find strength in all of this.
I have definitely learned to accept help. It's very humbling. But I am so grateful for all the help we have received. It's truly overwhelming and awe inspiring. We have so much hope right now.
NO one in a wealthy country like ours should go hungry.
How can we help you?
Physically, there was a gofundme account created, which I believe she closed today. I have received so much help there.
Please help by sharing my story and spreading the word, so that people continue to see that this is what poverty is like. It's not a luxurious life, soaking up tax money with our ACCESS cards. We're real people who are hurt by modern economic principles.
And please vote for people who will work for us rather than against us!!
I was one of the people who contributed. I hope that the money will help you and your family to breath easier for a little while.
I think that a lot of us are hanging in, but any little thing could topple us. For example, I work for a Fortune 100, but in the last three years they have been letting people go. In January of last year, my team had eleven people. Now, including my boss, we are only four. They are going to let go of more people this spring. So, I may be in your same boat. Nowadays there is no job security almost anywhere.
My best wishes to you and your family.
Good luck to your husband with his new job. I hope things get brighter for you and everything works out.
I definitely encourage you to write your story when you feel ready. I know Poor As Folk is always looking for personal stories.
Thank you for sharing my story.
to have been one of those who encouraged you to get this published. I think you found the right forum and I think your writing is very stirring and extremely well written. You deserve whatever good comes from this, Tree-Hugger.
I'm so glad I originally shared my story here. Between DU and my friend, Jupiter (owner of Poor As Folk), I have found much encouragement and support to share my story.
for sharing this, William.
P.S. It's featured in the BuzzFlash at Truthout box on the Truthout homepage right now, and will be there until I have to swap it out noonish tomorrow.
The article deserves every inch of attention it gets.
I hope your situation has improved for the better.
There was a GoFundMe set up, which I believe closed today. We have been uber blessed.
People have sent physical things via Jupiter's (owner of Poor As Folk) PO Box for her to forward to me.
We are going to be okay. Things are looking hopeful. Today I can breathe. 
$2,700 raised by 74 people in 6 hours.
http://www.gofundme.com/jennswords
Tree-Hugger
I am actually speechless. (that is a big deal - I never shut up )
that I am PO. Your story is touching. You are not alone. We have stories along those lines. When I first got laid off my husband almost died from a botched surgery. They then decided we were not entitled to damages because he did not die. I ended up getting another job in the same field. Kept it until I got another job doing something else. I chose a field that I thought would be okay as long as people were having children. Education. but you see the attack they have made on public education and all entities surrounding public schools. just SAD!! I will keep you lifted in good thoughts. you ever my way pm me and I may be able to help with job. Keep your head up. Writing will help. And we are here.
I believe she stopped the GoFundMe now - we went a little bit over goal.
We have been lucky and the weather is pretty nice today. We actually have our windows open. It's a nice break before the cold and that frozen white shit comes back this week. Hopefully, I'll bump the thermo to 65.
I'm sorry you have struggled as well - and I hope things get better. So many in the field of education are having their jobs threatened because of Republican attacks and cuts. It's not fair at all.
I think the major reason is your writing. You pull the reader right in and make them walk in your shoes. I see a new career in your future, Tree Hugger!
I wish I could make money writing. I do write a bit - I have a silly little blog (who doesn't) - and I never shut up. I'm very wordy.
... the poorasfolk blog, and the gofundme site.
No worries ... The comments have been wonderfully supportive.
We did have a few weenies who wrote that I was fake, etc. Those people will always be around, I think. Sucks to be them.
Overall, the response has been so, so kind and supportive. It's truly beautiful.
It's nice to be able to feel like I can breathe for a little bit now.
especially our children. Thank you.
