Share Our Strength

On Sunday, November 8, 2009, staff and two Witnesses went out to Washington, DC to talk about their experiences. They discussed how everyday is a struggle and what they have to do just to get by to feed their kids. After the Witnesses finished giving their speeches they mingled with the audience for more intimate conversations.

"I have overcome circumstances such as having to go to bed at night without eating for days at a time just so I could feed my children..." This is a quote by Barbie Izquierdo and how she has to give up feeding herself just so her children can eat a meal.

"My main problem is my kids waking up Christmas morning with nothing. That’s my biggest fear." This is a quote from Christina Koch about how she doesn't have enough money to buy Christmas presents for her kids this year and she wasn't able to give them a birthday party either. When she was younger she didn't get many holidays so she wanted it to be different for her children and now she can't even do that for them this year.

Here are some photos from the conference.

From Share our Strength conference

From Share our Strength conference

From Share our Strength conference

From Share our Strength conference

Mrs. Terese Casey Came to Visit!

Mrs. Terese Casey, wife of Senator Bob Casey, Jr., came to Philadelphia to meet with the Witnesses! Together we talked about our experiences raising children and the challenges we face. We brainstormed about our next steps together, starting with a tour of Pennsylvania and further conversations with senators.

See the pictures for yourself:

From Terese Casey photos

From Terese Casey photos

From Terese Casey photos

From Terese Casey photos

Keep your eyes open for a post about the Witnesses to Hunger tour of Pennsylvania starting in Scranton on November 16. We and the Caseys are hitting the road!

housing instability

Introduction: Witnesses to Hunger

Witnesses to Hunger
is an invitation to live
in the worlds of 40 women in Philadelphia.

This project invites us to listen, to learn and to consider how welfare and public assistance programs affect the health and wellbeing of women and children.

Who are they? They are mothers. They are experts. They speak with their own pictures and videos and their own voices. They hope and expect that policies will change.

Boy in the street

"There are no safe places for my children to play."