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Food bank to help people understand how neighbors deal with poverty

People at Ball State University attend a Second Harvest Food Bank workshop to understand the challenges facing people experiencing poverty. (Photo Provded/Second Harvest Food Bank)

MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — An east-central Indiana food bank is expanding its initiative to teach people about poverty through role play.

Second Harvest Food Bank announced Tuesday that its Poverty Simulation program will be opened to the public at no charge.

Participants each get a persona and try to overcome barriers to resources because of poverty over four “15-minute ‘weeks,’” said a statement from Carol Bradshaw, manager of the Forward Steps program at Second Harvest.

The goal, Bradshaw says, is to give people a better understand of neighbors’ struggles with poverty. “We want our community to understand what it is like not having those resources so they can be more empathic to those who don’t have resources and evoke social change,” Bradshaw said in the statement.

Poverty Simulation will be from 1-4 p.m. Saturday at Second Harvest Food Bank’s building, 6621 Old State Road 3 in Muncie. Sign up at curehunger.org/simulation.