Changing Our Mindsets
There can be an attitude and mentality towards the poor that they choose to be poor and remain dependent on the system because they don’t want to do what’s necessary for their families to survive. There is a portion of the population in our country that know nothing else other than being poor, which is often generalized as generational poor. That segment of the population does exist and it gives the rest of the folks in poverty a really bad name.
As I started volunteering with NeighborLink over 6 years ago, I learned over and over that the majority of people in poverty who are seeking help don’t want to be poor and take handouts. The pride that comes with providing and remaining independent of other’s goodwill or charity is deeply rooted. Sometimes too deeply rooted, which is a whole other series of blog posts. We want to care for ourselves and our families. We don’t normally like asking for help is it’s humbling to do so.
Sure, families try to manipulate the efforts of our volunteers but don’t we all try to manipulate some system or another regardless of our socioeconomic position in society? We’re always trying to negotiate more for less and we’ve made it a Sunday tradition to roam the aisles of major stores like Sams Club after church to accumulate enough free samples to call it lunch. Seems like we all take advantage of the system in some manner. But, for some reason it seems dirtier when those in poverty do it versus those from the middle class or higher.
However, there has been a really need thing happening at NeighborLink in the past year.
NeighborLink volunteers mow a lot of yards throughout the year. Yard work projects are our most completed projects due to their simplicity and often limited time investments. I love them because of their repetitive nature and the reality that many of our volunteers make an ongoing commitment to serve that recipient. We gladly mow for elderly, disabled and anyone that physically and financially cannot mow for themselves.
What’s been happening this year has truly been incredible. We’ve given away about a half dozen mowers to families that are in poverty that are more than capable physically and who want to mow their yard but cannot afford to fix their mower or buy a new one. And, we’ve got at least two more to give.
It’s been incredible to see the mentality of our volunteers change as well and have them begin asking the question of whether or not this person could do it themselves if they had the resources or not. Asking these questions in our own minds or in our own communities is not new, but having the boldness to actually ask the recipient is.
We often know the right development minded questions to ask but we often fear asking them. I’m learning that making our community a better place often revolves around asking the right questions.
