2008 Woodie Awards
Student advocating services for low-income Rhode Islanders
Lindsay Lorenz
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: News
03/06/08 - According to University of Rhode Island senior Sarah Marsella, 70,000 people in Rhode Island who are eligible for food stamps are not receiving them.
Marsella came across this fact while meeting with Henry Shelton, director of the George Wiley Center, a Pawtucket-based grassroots center that advocates rights and services for those with low incomes.
Shelton sent an e-mail to the URI community seeking volunteers to bring their messages to the South County area, and Marsella was quick to respond.
"I always say I stand for these things like compassion and poverty," she said. "But I don't really do much about it."
However, for Marsella, change is on the horizon. Last night the psychology major launched Food For Thought, a new group that works in conjunction with the Wiley Center to represent South County.
"We can almost be a satellite group here and support their efforts," she said.
For instance, Marsella said one reason so many people aren't receiving food stamps is because they don't know how to apply for them.
The center wants to make sure that people who need these services are receiving them, but as Marsella explained, they need to know how to get them.
Marsella said it will not be long until the funding for the food stamps program and other similar causes disappear if people don't let the government know that they need them.
Heating for low-income families is another cause Marsella hopes to shed light on.
She explained that by law, heating companies like National Grid must continue to supply warmth to families until April 15, regardless of their ability to pay the bill.
"It's still cold in April," Marsella said. "We're all people. We all have our basic needs and it's a problem when those needs aren't met."
The center has been lobbying to extend the date so that no one is left in the cold.
During last night's meeting, Marsella shared with students how they can become involved. She stressed that the littlest things make a difference, like participating in food drives or volunteering at local events, like the upcoming Health, Safety and Energy Community Forum. It will be held Saturday in Newport at the Florence Gray Center.
Marsella came across this fact while meeting with Henry Shelton, director of the George Wiley Center, a Pawtucket-based grassroots center that advocates rights and services for those with low incomes.
Shelton sent an e-mail to the URI community seeking volunteers to bring their messages to the South County area, and Marsella was quick to respond.
"I always say I stand for these things like compassion and poverty," she said. "But I don't really do much about it."
However, for Marsella, change is on the horizon. Last night the psychology major launched Food For Thought, a new group that works in conjunction with the Wiley Center to represent South County.
"We can almost be a satellite group here and support their efforts," she said.
For instance, Marsella said one reason so many people aren't receiving food stamps is because they don't know how to apply for them.
The center wants to make sure that people who need these services are receiving them, but as Marsella explained, they need to know how to get them.
Marsella said it will not be long until the funding for the food stamps program and other similar causes disappear if people don't let the government know that they need them.
Heating for low-income families is another cause Marsella hopes to shed light on.
She explained that by law, heating companies like National Grid must continue to supply warmth to families until April 15, regardless of their ability to pay the bill.
"It's still cold in April," Marsella said. "We're all people. We all have our basic needs and it's a problem when those needs aren't met."
The center has been lobbying to extend the date so that no one is left in the cold.
During last night's meeting, Marsella shared with students how they can become involved. She stressed that the littlest things make a difference, like participating in food drives or volunteering at local events, like the upcoming Health, Safety and Energy Community Forum. It will be held Saturday in Newport at the Florence Gray Center.