I don’t pretend for one second, I am truly feeling the discomfort of poverty because this challenge is short lived and we are going to be able to return to the life we have on Friday BUT! we were told that wasn’t the point of this.  The point is to create and discuss the awareness and get dialogues started.  When I tell people what I’m doing, almost everyone has been supportive perhaps ‘impressed’ with what I’m doing, which is kind but I do hope it goes beyond that.  I hope it goes towards looking at people in poverty with different eyes and ears and heart and perhaps with more awareness  of how our society divides people into categories. 
I remember my dear dad once giving me a small blast when I said something as a teenager about ‘lower class/ middle class' etc and he looked at me and said  something like……  “if you were to categorize my upbringing into a “class,” we may have been slotted into lower class in the 1940’s or 50’s because we didn’t have a lot of money or extras.  But we had everything we needed on our farm and had a great life.  Being put in a class wasn’t part of our world……  and I don’t want you speaking about people like that”   Ouch.  I never brought that up again because he taught me an important lesson….. don’t judge and smarten up.   We have NO idea what people walk everyday.  Rich or poor or in between. EVERYONE has a story.  I so believe that.   But in this case, I particularly think we are quite blind to see the discomfort or lack of dignity to others - in poverty.

I am not innocent in the next comment as I wonder  if WE in North America who are surrounded and flooded/bombarded with notions of materialism, efficiency,  comparisons, superiority, success, fame, fast-food, fast conversations, etc etc have slotted those into poverty more cruelly than those in other continents.  Judgements are quick to formulate in out society as to why people are in their circumstances, act the way they do……..  ugh - we are a tough society to be poor in. 
But I also want to say this before I head out to the meal for homeless/hungry shortly, that I also hear and see compassion, awareness and actions seeping into the harshness…..