How do you define poverty?
Oxford describes it as “the state of being extremely poor.”
Webster says it’s “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.”
While poverty does cover a wide range of material problems related to daily life and survival, it’s also psychologically threatening to those experiencing it because it leads to shame.
When it comes to poverty, shame can take many forms. For instance, being unable to meet your own necessities is often accompanied by a feeling of shame, even more so when it comes to the needs of your children.
Poverty-induced shame can have many negative consequences, including low self-esteem and withdrawal from society, often perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty even more. Researchers from the University of Oxford concluded that such shame not only hurts but also undermines individual agency, which adds to the negative experience of poverty and its perpetuation. In the worst case, it can lead to depression and self-harm.
Diane O’Neill has written on the subject of poverty-induced shame, particularly as it relates to food insecurit—but not in an academic sense. She didn’t publish a dissertation or a master’s thesis.
She wrote a children’s book. It’s called “Saturday at the Food Pantry.”
It’s about a little girl named Molly and her mom, who pay their first visit to a local food pantry. When they get there, they see one of Molly’s classmates in line, embarrassed that her family needs help.
The book was recently deemed among the Best Picture Books of the year by the Chicago Public Library and won Parents Magazine’s Book of the Month.
If children’s literature seems like a surprising place to tackle such a complex issue, perhaps it shouldn’t be.
One reviewer said the book “gently destigmatizes food insecurity without being preachy; soft illustrations show friendly shoppers and workers, making the pantry look like a welcoming place.”
Diane, who lives in Chicago, has worked in the field of disability rights and services for most of her professional life. She remembers going to a food pantry as a child. She wrote “Saturday at the Food Pantry,” in part, to eradicate the stigma and change the way in which people judge and relate to people in need.
Today, we’re talking to Diane about the inspiration behind her book, what she remembers about the first time she stepped foot in a food pantry, and how destigmatizing poverty can help create more empathetic humans — regardless of age.
Because as she writes in her book, “Everybody needs a little help sometimes.”
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