Poverty is a phenomenon that transcends boundaries, affecting individuals and families in various ways. It’s a complex issue that is often accompanied by struggles, challenges, and hardships. However, the way poverty manifests can differ immensely based on a...
When we look across a room filled with people at orientation, it’s easy to see chairs, faces, and numbers. But at the Co-op, we see something much deeper. We see stories. A story of someone who has fought battles no one else could see. A mother is trying to rebuild...
For as long as I can remember I have known that I am an adopted child. The adopted word carries so many questions and heartaches with it at least it does for me. One large question that always comes up is why? So where do I belong? As I grew the questions grew with...
What if the advice you’ve been searching for isn’t out there somewhere but already sitting quietly inside you? Not loud. Not flashy. Not trending. Just… there. Because if we’re honest, most of us already know the right move. We know which habits are hurting us. We...
I remember being ten years old and knowing deep in my bones that my mother was getting it terribly wrong. Not in the way children complain about rules or punishments, but in a quieter, more unsettling way. I could see patterns. I could sense that the choices being...
It’s a question that sometimes makes people uncomfortable: Is there a culture around poverty? The honest answer is yes, of course there is. But before we jump to conclusions about what that means, we should pause and think about what culture really is. Culture is...
I live in Battle Creek. So do you. But we may not live in the same Battle Creek. We drive the same streets. We pass the same schools. We see the same “Now Hiring” signs. And yet, the experience of living here can be completely different depending on what economic...
There are jobs available. We hear it all the time in Battle Creek. There are openings at the Fort. Manufacturing is hiring. Healthcare is hiring. Retail is hiring. Opportunity is everywhere. So why are so many people still struggling? Let’s ask a harder question:...
Today in our lobby, we ended up in one of those conversations that starts silly and ends up telling the truth. We were talking about cornbread — specifically, what it “goes with.”For some of the white folks in the room, cornbread belongs next to chili or a pot...
I grew up in a world where the word “home” was temporary and the word “family” was complicated. From the moment I entered the foster care system at age 3 I was abused, malnourished and belittled. From being abused I ended up pregnant at the...
