Minutes: November 12, 2013

At the November meeting, we watched and discussed the first two segments from the film, The Line, concerning poverty in the U.S. The film documents the stories of people living at or below the poverty line, and it seeks to dispell common myths about poverty. We will finish the film at our December meeting. Additionally, we will be discussing the first four chapters of the book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, 4th ed. (2005). Special thanks to John and Becky for provided copies at a discounted rate.

Rev. Kathleen shared with us her experiences offering assistance to people in the community. She explained that she receives more requests than she can possibly grant, and we agreed to brainstorm ways in which we could generate further funds. We also agreed to work as a group to develop a more regular (i.e., weekly) contribution by  St. John's to the Dubuque food pantry, beginning in January. Although details will be finalized at the December meeting, it was agreed that we would manage a weekly donation schedule, with certain specific weeks of each month devoted to particular food items. For example, one week might be devoted to pastas and grains, another to vegetables and beans, etc. We agreed to come prepared with further suggestions and proposals.

Rev. Kathleen also noted that paper products and diapers are sometimes difficult for people to come by. We will give some thought to whether it would be feasible for St. John's to have these items in-stock and available for those in need. If such a project were pursued, we might be able to take advantage of bulk-ordering.

Meeting Reminder

Our monthly meeting will be November 12, at 6:30 PM at the St. John's Parish House. We will watch and discuss a brief film, in addition to continuing our discussions concerning issues of concern and possible projects. As always, please come with further topics for discussion, and feel free to invite others.

In case you didn't see it, John posted the following message elsewhere on the blog:

"I have 5 copies of the book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, 4th ed (2005) that we found helpful. As people from middle-class and lower-middle class backgrounds, it provided understanding of how class affects culture. The list price is $22 and I'll sell these for $10 apiece."