The In$ufficient Funds Phenomenon

According to the U.S. Census, there are close to 16,500 people living in poverty in Franklin County. Members of the Franklin County Hunger Task Force help many of these individuals when they are in need of food, a winter coat for their child, or school supplies for their children.  

Many consumers at the Franklin County Hunger Task Force Simulation pawned their TVs, cameras,  jewelry, or other valuables in order to pay the rent for the month.  Pictured from left are Deanna Thompson with the Second Blessings food pantry in  Union, and Mary Nienhueser of the Tri-Pantry food pantry in Leslie.

The Hunger Task Force, of which Heartland Independent Living Center is a member, recently staged a Poverty Simulation in which social and community service attendees experienced what life might be like for individuals in a state of poverty.  Each attendee was assigned a role as a family member of a one to five-member family.  Each was given a specified amount of money or other items from which they may derive money.  Four 15-minute time segments equaled a month of trying to make ends meet.

 At the beginning of each week, designated family members would go to work or visit the employment office looking for work.  Others would take their child to school, visit the doctor’s office, go to the bank, pay their utility bill, or shop for groceries.  Some would take a household item to the pawn shop for quick cash, others would visit Pay Day Loans for their needs.  Throughout the evening, a robber was lurking waiting for a chance to snatch valuables.  And, like most communities, a policeman was standing watch to keep residents safe and within the law.

During a recent Poverty Simulation staged by 

the Franklin County Hunger Task Force, a young 

mother and her child are evicted for being three 

months behind on rent. Kelly Landolt of Gerald 

Community Outreach played the local law 

enforcement officer, and Britney Argurieo of 

Jefferson Franklin County Community Action 

Corporation  experienced poverty for the evening 

as a young, unemployed mom.

Frustration struck many as things went awry - - you just spent your allotted gas money getting to the bank only to find out they were closed for the day. The pawn shop didn’t pay enough for your big screen TV to pay your overdue utilities bill.  Your son landed himself in jail for vandalism. When going through the checkout line you found you didn’t have enough money for the week’s groceries.  In your frustration you ran off and left your child in the grocery cart, who was picked up by the local authorities and taken to Social Services.  Now you have to spend more time and gas money to consult with state officials to get your child back.  In addition, your husband has to appear also, and is penalized because he has to take off work.  The hole just keeps getting deeper as the month wears on. 

These are all real problems individuals living in poverty face every day.  It is hard to imagine the downward spiral unless one has experienced it.  The simulation is intended to let community service people walk in the footsteps of poverty so they can better empathize with those that need assistance. “It really is an eye-opener,” says Heartland Independent Living Center Director Pat Chambers.  “This kind of program put on by the Task Force is very beneficial to help understand the situations in which individuals in poverty find themselves.”

As in real life, frustration grows as waiting lines get longer 

and longer.  At the Poverty Simulation given by the Franklin 

County Hunger Task Force, consumers must purchase a 

transportation voucher before they are able to travel 

anywhere in town.  Maria Killian of Gerald Community 

Outreach and St. Vincent DePaul Society portrays the Pay 

Day Loan manager who also sells transportation passes, 

sometimes at an inflated price. 

To schedule a poverty simulation for your business, fraternal organization, school, or social group, please call Franklin County Hunger Task Force at 636-797-2688 or 636-629-6193.

Heartland Independent Living Center (HILC) is a nonprofit, non-residential, community based organization that serves individuals with disabilities in east central Missouri.  HILC offers a number of free services to assist people to live independently in their own homes, including advocacy, information & referral, independent living skills training, ramps and home modifications, nursing home transition, adaptive equipment, and dental services.  For more information on available services contact HILC toll-free at 866-322-3224.