United Way of the Midlands Blog

Mark your calendars for May 4, 2013! FAVOR Midlands will present a sneak preview of the documentary film The Anonymous People.

FAVOR (Faces and Voices of Recovery) Midlands promotes long-term recovery from substance use disorders through education, advocacy and recovery support services resulting in healthier individuals, families and communities.

The film is about the 23.5 million Americans living in long-term recovery, and the emerging public recovery movement that will transform how alcohol and other drug problems are dealt with in our communities. The Anonymous People is working to change the addiction conversation from problems to solutions.

The screening will be May 4 at 6 PM at the Tapps Art Center on Main Street. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. You can purchase tickets online and find out more information about the screening and FAVOR Midlands by clicking here. 

Mark your calendars to join us for Public Policy Day!

The 2013 Public Policy Day will be held
Wednesday, January 16th, 2013!

Pre-purchase your ticket here for lunch!

The United Way Association of South Carolina and the South Carolina Association for Non-profit Organizations will be partnering again this year to host the Public Policy Day at the state house. You will have the chance to meet one-on-one with members of your delegation to discuss the UWASC or your local UW public policy agenda!

 Lunch will be from 12-2 and catered by Doc’s BBQ. Tickets in advance are $12 at the link above, or are $15 at the door.

If you would like to register for the event, and do not wish to pre-purchase a lunch ticket- please email Caitlin Carey, Associate for Policy and Advocacy at caitlin@uwasc.org. We are happy to schedule appointments for you, even if you will miss out on some great BBQ!

 Please register with this link (where you will purchase a ticket) or by email (Caitlin@uwasc.org)  by December 20th!

As we mentioned in a previous post, several students at Blythewood High School recently participated in the SNAP Challenge. The SNAP Challenge asks participants to live on the same budget as people living on food stamps, approximately $4 per person per day for a week. In honor of the upcoming National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 12-18), we’ll be sharing these reflections periodically.

I like doing the Snap Challenge because I like helping the less fortunate get food and supplies. My mother and I would always go and give food to the hungry and homeless because we think it’s a good thing to help people by going to give them food and clothing. It actually makes me feel better inside knowing that I’m helping out people. The Snap Challenge program that helps people who cannot provide for themselves. It’s important to help people out when they’re struggling. Most of the time, it gets people in the mood to helps out others.

People don’t realize that some people can’t afford some things, even if they have jobs. But, some people don’t care about others, and they just watch them suffer. Little do they know they are trying their best, but they don’t have good paying jobs. Sometimes those people can’t get jobs because there are not enough jobs available to people. So, they are forced to live in the streets, where they have to eat almost anything they find on the ground. Overall, I think it’s best to help everyone who is homeless and hungry out. The Snap Challenge has taught me that more about helping people not just in the neighborhood, but, in the  other neighborhoods too.

-Clyde Green

The Snap Challenge was challenging because there was a limit to the amount of money we got every week. We had to make sure family had the right nutrition and caloric intake. Eating healthy, and making sure you’re not going over your limit is very difficult, especially for a family on a very low income. During this Snap Challenge, I learned to be thankful for what I have, and it opened my eyes to the way people actually live. I encourage others to try the Snap Challenge; you learn a lot from it.

-Ja’Maya Currie

As we approach Thanksgiving, we encourage everyone to take a moment and consider what you’re thankful for, just like Ja’Maya and Clyde. Check the blog  for more reflections, and if you’re interested in taking the SNAP Challenge in your family please let us know so we can share your experiences as well! Thank you, students of Blythewood for LIVING UNITED!

As we mentioned in a previous post, several students at Blythewood High School recently participated in the SNAP Challenge. The SNAP Challenge asks participants to live on the same budget as people living on food stamps, approximately $4 per person per day for a week. In honor of the upcoming National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 12-18), we’ll be sharing these reflections periodically with our readers.

What I liked about the Snap Challenge is we learned about the different challenges people have to go through. Such as finding the cheapest food, but also the healthiest food. You only have a certain amount of money depending on how many people in your family. My family had two parents, one child, and a diabetic. We were most focused on the diabetic because we had watch out what we bought. Finding out what food we had to get was hard and expensive also. We had $20 per day to spend on food. At the end of the day, we had to make sure that we got all of our food groups. It was challenging, but eventually we got through the hard parts. We look at the food group chart, and then we look at the different groceries papers to see what items we needed.

Everyone should do the Snap Challenge because it teaches you about the different programs that the government offer to people in poverty. It will people teach how hard it is for people trying to provide their families with healthy meals every day. People do not know how good they have it, and they take things for granted. When people they are try to buy groceries, they can’t always get what they want. They have to worry about the people there are providing for. The Snap Challenge taught me about poverty, and how the government tries to help.

-Quinton Madison

Chronic diseases can make an otherwise difficult situation almost an impossibility, especially when you are responsible for providing nutritious meals for your whole family. Quinton learned how difficult it can be for someone with a chronic disease who is living in poverty, and the difficulties it can place on a family. Check the blog next time for more reflections, and if you’re interested in taking the SNAP Challenge with your family please let us know so we can share your experiences as well! Thank you, students of Blythewood High School for LIVING UNITED!

As we mentioned in a previous post, several students at Blythewood High School recently participated in the SNAP Challenge. The SNAP Challenge asks participants to live on the same budget as people living on food stamps, approximately $4 per person per day for a week. In honor of the upcoming National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 12-18), we’ll be sharing these reflections periodically with our readers.

When I was a little child, I didn’t realize how much food cost. I was the only one in the family to over indulge myself with food. I began to realize it when I was 14 years old. I went shopping at Walmart with my mother. We didn’t buy much; we just bought the following: yogurt, bread, hotdogs, baloney, and oatmeal. I thought it would just be like $6, but the real price was $12, plus tax; that’s when I realized food isn’t cheap.

I started to not over indulge food and think about others. My family and I are now buying organic foods, which are more expensive. Our goal is to eat healthy; the family is not used to the organic taste yet, but we don’t waste it.

In class, I learned how to use money wisely specially with food.  We met a guest speaker in class that day and she begin to explain about incomes. Most people today don’t have income and that people are still poor to this day. People are fighting this as well. Some people can’t even afford jobs to this day. All of these people are fighting to survive.

-Bryce Batey

I like doing the Snap Challenge because it allowed me to see people that don’t have the amount of money to survive goes through, in this process is sad. You have to be more limited on your meals; the challenging thing is the food prices.  Throughout your three meals, you need to have nutritious foods. You couldn’t just buy whatever you want you would have to be careful on the desserts, you brought if you could afford there.

We did a project called the Snap Challenge. My family assigned was two grandparents and one child. Our food income was about $84 a month.  The coupons we used helped us save our money. It is tough to see what people who don’t have the income have to go through. This project taught me about what happens to others in need.

- Roberto W. Dejesus

Bryce and Roberto learned first hand just how expensive food can be! Many families struggle to get the nutrients they need because processed and fatty foods are often whats on sale.

Check the blog next time for more reflections, and if you’re interested in taking the SNAP Challenge with your family please let us know so we can share your experiences as well! Thank you, students of Blythewood High School for LIVING UNITED!

As we mentioned in a previous post, several students at Blythewood High School recently participated in the SNAP Challenge. The SNAP Challenge asks participants to live on the same budget as people living on food stamps, approximately $4 per person per day for a week. In honor of the upcoming National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 12-18), we’ll be sharing these reflections periodically with our readers.

I enjoyed doing the Snap Challenge because it opened my eyes to the hardships and struggles that many families have to go through. One of the biggest challenges that I had was that in the family I was assigned, I had a diabetic, so we had a little more trouble trying to find food that we could afford, and he was still able to eat.  For the Snap Challenge, we had to have foods from all the food groups in a day for nutrient, but it was difficult to have healthy foods because they were more expensive than foods that aren’t as healthy.  We had to ration because we didn’t have the money to just spend on anything. We had to have money set aside for bills, and some for groceries, and by then, you don’t have any money left for luxury items. You have more important things to take care of such as electricity bills and heating.

This challenge definitely made me realize what Atticus, one of the main characters in the book we are reading in class To Kill a Mockingbird, meant when he said, “you don’t understand a person’s way until you walk in their shoes.”  It makes me see just how blessed and lucky I am. It makes me want to help people in that situation.

-Brittney Bell

The Snap Challenge was a very interesting challenge; it was fun, too. In the Snap Challenge we had to get into groups and we were given a family. The family scenario I had was a traditional two parent, two children family. We were given $4 a day multiplied by how many people are in the family. My family had a total of $92 for a week. We had to create a 7-day menu, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The most challenging meal was lunch because we tried not to be cheap, but also have a healthy meal at the same time that was big enough for four people. It also was a challenge trying not to duplicate the meals more than twice. When doing the Snap Challenge, we didn’t make nutrition our main focus. We focused on the prices and the great deals that were available.

At the end of the Snap Challenge, we had about $40 or maybe $50 left; we didn’t add any luxury meals, like desserts. I learned to be grateful for what you have, because even though you may not believe it, someone is always willing and wishing that they could trade places with you. Everyone should do the Snap Challenge. It shows children what their parents have to go through to keep a roof over their heads and as easy as it may look, it’s not.

-Aziza Moses

These students realized the sacrifices families living in poverty have to make to meet their basic needs. Things that we may take for granted, such as dessert, are considered luxury items for a family living on food stamps. Prioritizing shelter and bills over food is an everyday reality for many families, and as these students learned, you can’t always use your money for what you want when you have a family to support.

Check the blog next time for more reflections, and if you’re interested in taking the SNAP Challenge in your family please let us know so we can share your experiences as well! Thank you, students of Richland Northeast for LIVING UNITED!

Around this time last year, several United Way of the Midlands staffers were getting ready to participate in something known as the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Challenge.

The SNAP Challenge asks participants to live on the same budget as people living on food stamps, approximately $4 per person per day for a week.  The Challenge is not meant to be an exact replica of the experience of people depending on SNAP, but to bring awareness to how we all make food choices and how more limited resources affect those choices. Participating can really challenge your perceptions of poverty, as you’ll soon see below.

An English class at Blythewood High School in Richland County School District 2 recently did a SNAP Challenge. Each student was asked to write a brief reflection of their experience which were given specific guidelines to follow, such as special health needs like diabetes or pregnancy.

In honor of the upcoming National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 12-18), we’ll be sharing these reflections periodically. Below are just a few reflections from students about their experiences.

The Snap Challenge was a difficult challenge.  Groups  had certain conditions which caused them to have to choose certain foods. This challenge/ activity is helpful because it lets us more fortunate people understand how others live. When I first started this project, I didn’t take it seriously, but once I realized that this is how others live, I took it more seriously.  Other schools should try this activity and see how they like it.

The Snap Challenge activity is a  good way to walk in someone else’s shoes. It is  hard for those families that are less fortunate because $4 a day per person can’t help them.   I worry about the families that go through this because I can tell it’s hard.   The Snap Challenge is a good activity, and it’s a good way to see how the less fortunate families survive.

- Jason Curry

 I liked the Snap Challenge because it showed me what other people have to go through in order to survive off a small amount of money. In my group there were four people . We had $4 a person, and we had to live off it for a week. It’s hard to base a small amount of money on large families and even small, when you have to provide for them and yourself. You have to make sure the meals that you eat are healthy, and provide the right amount of nutrition.

With that being said, I learned how much coupons and grocery store catalogs helped you prepare for your meals, and how they also help with lower prices, but it takes a strong person to do it . Families that live their lives like that are truly blessed. In my group, we had to prepare meals with health expectations that you have to meet in a everyday food pyramid, and that’s not easy. Overall, I did enjoy this project, It makes me feel more grateful and sincere for what I have in my life.

- Kristina Able

We love that these students were able to learn so much through their experiences. Check the blog next week for more reflections, and if you’re interested in taking the SNAP Challenge in your family please let us know so we can share your experiences as well! Thank you, students of Richland Northeast for LIVING UNITED!

If you’re not registered to vote or you simply need to update your registration information, today is the day.

September 25th is the first ever National Voter Registration Day, and United Way and other non-profits are encouraging everyone we know to register now and head to the polls on November 6. It’s a small thing, but making your voice heard through your vote is the easiest way to make sure our elected officials know about the issues that matter to us.

In 2008, 6 million Americans didn’t vote because they missed a registration deadline or didn’t know how to register. In 2012, we want to make sure no one is left out.

Deadlines to register begin in early October throughout the US, so register today and make sure your vote counts on election day!

For more information on National Voter Registration Day, including how to register to vote in your area, visit http://www.nationalvoterregistrationday.org/

Richland County is offering you the opportunity to learn how they collect and spend your tax dollars during the fall session of Richland 101. Richland 101 is a free course on a variety of topics ranging from the funding of public education to public safety.

The course begins Monday, October 1 and is held each Monday and Thursday from 6-8pm at various locations throughout the county.

Click here for more information about this class, or contact Richland County’s Public Information Office at 576-2062.