Understanding that poverty is a diverse lived experience

  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...

Every seat holds a story

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...

Adoption – identity

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 You Already Know the Way?

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...

Inheritance: how much of me is from generations of them?

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...

Is There a Culture Around Poverty?

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...