Workshop Schedule: all workshops are held at The Food Depot, in person, all workshops are held at The Food Depot, in person, with a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 attendees per session, RSVP required two business days ahead: info@thefooddepot.org.
August 5: Noon to 1:30 p.m.
August 11: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
August 19: Noon to 1:30 p.m.
August 24: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
September 1: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Join The Food Depot for an interactive, in-person workshop, “Making Ends Meet.”
Workshop Overview: Session participants will engage in a poverty simulation exercise to illustrate the challenges of living on a minimum wage budget. The facilitator will lead a group discussion about the impact of poverty on families and children, and the larger implications for communities. The threads of the simulation and conversation will be pulled together to motivate participants to take action as advocates at all levels in their communities.
The Food Depot and its 100-plus partners in northern New Mexico hear stories of the struggle to make ends meet every day. Often, such stories come from people whose voices aren’t being heard. For those outside hunger relief work, terms like the “working poor” have little to no meaning. Who are these people? How can someone who is working be poor? How can someone who is working still experience hunger? What does it take to make ends meet? Join us as we explore the life of a family with two adults who are working full-time at minimum wage jobs. They have two young children. Each month, this family is forced to make heartbreaking choices. Walk in their shoes. What would you choose?
Hunger is inextricably linked to poverty, therefore any solution to hunger must address poverty first. The activity of providing immediate hunger relief to persons experiencing food insecurity also plays a role in affecting systemic change. Although a short-term solution, alleviating hunger through the provision of food makes children ready to learn in school, improves the health of all recipients, and reduces stress. Hunger relief contributes to improvements in educational readiness and health outcomes. Long term, only policy changes that address poverty in meaningful and intentional ways will affect more significant change toward ending hunger.
Questions? Email info@thefooddepot.org.