Our community lost a wonderful soul in July – Karen Haltiner-Ordway, Class of 2019 Bath Speakers Bureau Graduate.
Like all of our Speakers Bureau Graduates, Karen chose to lift her voice to drive change in our community.
During her graduation speech, she shared, “I am grateful for my journey. It has made me a stronger person. However, not everyone is like me. So, it is imperative to find a way to stop poverty and break the myth that being poor means you’re lazy.”
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier is committed to a future without hunger, where access to healthy food is the foundation for a strong and vibrant society. For this change to happen, people with lived experience must be part of the discussion and decisions. By raising their voice, they can shed light on hunger, poverty and other related issues.
And Karen did just that.
After completing the 11-week process that included speech writing, advocacy and media training, Karen shared her experience on WSKG’s “Chasing the Dream,” and subsequently spoke as a panelist at a screening of Chasing the Dream and participated in the People’s Assembly of the New York State Poor People’s Campaign.
Through our work, we hope to honor Karen’s life and continue to advocate for those experiencing poverty and food insecurity and bring those with lived experiences to the table, so that we can continue to build bridges and drive change in our community.