Bridges Out of Poverty

Foodshare is undertaking a new initiative this year, in collaboration with Chrysalis Center, the Junior League of Hartford, and the UConn Department of Allied Health Sciences, and with start-up funding from the Aetna Foundation.  The Bridges Out of Poverty / Getting Ahead program is designed to both change the community conversation about poverty and to help individuals in poverty move toward self-sufficiency.

The first Getting Ahead workshop has just started and is already proving how powerful it is.  In just four weeks, the low-income participants, called investigators, are setting goals for themselves, discussing difficult life situations, and have built a strong social network within the group - sharing bus passes and references for jobs.  One woman has started a new job, another investigator applied for a job, and two others are networking about temporary job opportunities.

One of the investigators said that this workshop has changed her life, and she doesn't know what the finale will be, but she hopes it doesn't just end. 

This is where the second part of the program, Bridges Out of Poverty, comes in.  This program will train community members to be mentors, called allies in this case, to help support the investigators as they create the bridge out of poverty.

Watch for more information soon about how to engage with Bridges and help us work toward solutions to poverty and hunger, one household at a time.