Community Conversations: Knowing Poverty

Knowing Poverty: Living on the Edge in the Monadnock Region

What are the causes of poverty, who are the victims, and how have things changed for better or worse in recent years? What things are within our power to change locally, and in what ways do we need to adapt to larger trends beyond our control?

These question will be the topic of discussion at the next Community Conversations forum Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. in Bass Hall at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture. Four people who are involved with these issues will present their perspectives to get the conversation going. 

Mindy Cambiar is the director of the Hundred Nights Shelter in Keene. Prior to that she served as a founder and the director of the Community Kitchen in Keene for 24 years. Owen Houghton of Jaffrey is an aging wellness educator, columnist for the Keene Sunday Sentinel, and treasurer of the Jaffrey Food Pantry and the Free Jaffrey Community Suppers. Virginia Lee Miller serves on the board of the Peterborough Food Pantry. Margaret Nelson is the executive director of the River Center, an organization which provides a variety of services to individuals and families in the region.

Following a short presentation from each panelist, there will be moderated conversation, and widespread participation is encouraged. Previous Community Conversations have resulted in new connections between people, and actionable information provided to participants and presenters.

The event is free, however non-perishable food items may be brought as a donation, and will be distributed to the food pantries.

Community Conversations is a series that explores many of the issues impacting our communities. A partnership between the Monadnock Center for History and Culture and the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, each Conversation features local experts talking about challenges faced by our communities. Some issues are global in nature, but each conversation is designed to examine the topic from a local perspective. The program provides residents with the opportunity to learn more about key issues impacting their communities, to engage in a civil dialog with speakers and with each other, and to come away with a sense that there are things that individuals and communities can do to foster change and improvement.