Wuzzup Poverty Guy???

Yikes!!  It's been far too long since my last blog.  What the heck has been going on?!?  What has That Poverty Guy been up to?!?  Why so many question and exclamation marks???  ( . . . there I go again.)

The third phase of the That Poverty Project continues . . . having now gone 80 days eating World Food Programme refugee rations and only 11 days to go.  (See Phase III Begins! for details.)  As of this morning, I've lost 35 lbs since the start of this phase on March 1st.  And, that's 46 lbs lost since the beginning of the project last July.  I'm handling temptation very well, but the cravings are heating up again.  Surprisingly to me, while I am looking forward to a nice steak, a big salad and fruit are topping the list of food I'm desiring.  But food and weight loss aside, there are a few things that have come to light which have been occupying my time as of late.

Click Here to go to the Action to End Poverty in Alberta website.

#1 Seeking Support for Action to End Poverty in Alberta.  I made a presentation to Canmore Town Council about That Poverty Project, and they unanimously approved endorsing a provincial campaign to encourage the provincial government to adopt a preventative poverty reduction strategy. 

#2 Community Discussion on Poverty.  A short while ago, with the support of St. Michael's Anglican Church, I put out the call for participants to start a conversation in my local community about poverty.  I had expected some participation by local not-for-profit organizations and had hoped for maybe 20 people.  So you can imagine my delight when over 50 people registered, including representation of about 30 local groups.  The gathering was a day long event in which we heard from Joe Ceci, Coordinator for Action to End Poverty in Alberta, identified poverty issues affecting our community, and discussed some initial ideas to address the biggest issues (affordable housing, employment issues, food and necessities security, transportation issues, etc.).  From here, I will be compiling an interim report on the status of poverty in my area which pulls together the matters discussed along with other information gathered in the community, and then makes some recommendations for action.

#3 Krausert for Council.  Alberta had a provincial election recently, and Canmore's mayor was elected to the legislature.  In response, two of Canmore's Councillors resigned to seek the Mayor's job.  Accordingly, there will a byelection on June 19th for Mayor and two Council seats, and I will be running for one of the Council seats.  The theme of my campaign is "Building Community for Everyone".  Wish me luck!





That's it for now . . . I need to go make some rice.  :)


Hey!!  I'm That Poverty Guy . . . let's make a world of difference together.

Click Here to See WHAT YOU CAN DO.

Click Here to Sign . . . A Declaration to World Leaders