March 2021 Voices of Hunger WV Live Testimony
In March of 2021, Voices of Hunger WV hosted their very first live Zoom call on their Facebook page. This body was assembled in an effort to allow folks with lived experiences of hunger to not only come and share their stories, but to also learn ways to gather together and create change in government through their storytelling. Many testimonies were shared during this gathering, two of which are shared below.
Martec Washington
Martec shared a story of an experience he once shared with a man in his neighborhood. One day,
“If he’s digging through the trash for food, why wouldn’t I just bring him food?”
Martec was going to take out his trash. On his street, he saw that there was a man, digging through the garbage. The man had created quite a mess, and Martec decided to speak with him. He found out this man was digging through the trash in an attempt to find food. “Well,” Martec said, “if you’re going to dig through the trash, here’s $10. Just clean up the mess, and here’s some money for you.” After turning his back on the man, he was struck with a thought: “If he’s digging through the trash for food, why wouldn’t I just bring him food?” This man was homeless, and Martec thought about how such a person might be treated if he went to a business: “What is $10 going to do? If I give him $10 and he goes to Wendy’s, they’re going to treat him like a homeless person, maybe call the police on him and not give him access to food.” Martec knows that everyone, regardless of what’s happening in their lives, deserves access to food. The system in which our world currently operates doesn't always allow for that, and that isn’t okay: “It’s not fair that we are holding food hostage that we’re growing in the ground for free. So, food as a right, that’s an understatement. Food should just be food.”
Amber Roy
Amber lives with her husband and two children in West Virginia. Amber knows how family struggles can include a struggle for food. In 2011, while attempting to obtain custody of her two stepchildren, she discovered that her 5 year old son had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. During that time, neither her nor her husband, who was caring for their 3 year old child, were able to work. Despite receiving assistance, life was very difficult for the Roy family. Unable to afford
“I’m trying to figure out how I’m gonna make it for the next two weeks on $40, because I can’t feed my family.”
two extra mouths to feed, the Roys were forced to forfeit custody of her stepchildren to their grandmother. As her son underwent chemotherapy, his taste began to change as the chemo affected his body: “My son loved the tuna fish sandwiches from Subway, but I couldn’t afford Subway every day. Sometimes two or three times a day when he was feeling good.” Amber found herself eating the hospital food her son refused to, because otherwise she would’ve gone hungry. Now, her son is in remission, and Amber has a college degree and a full time job, but she still fights to provide for her family because she only makes $13 an hour: “I'm trying to figure out how I’m gonna make it for the next two weeks on $40, because I can’t feed my family.” Both Amber’s and Martec’s stories show examples of individualized lived experiences that reiterate the need for the right to food.