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“This is about what is absent from most studies of poverty, and that is a larger theoretical picture. Poverty is not just a problem for the community; it is a problem for the whole society and for all Americans. ”
So William DiFazio PhD, states in his book Ordinary Poverty: A Little Food and Cold Storage. Mr. DiFazio; Bill, is a long-standing Board Member of St. John’s Bread and Life and a Professor of Sociology at St. John’s University.
Ordinary Poverty is unusual in its study of poverty, hunger and responses to these issues in that it is ethnographic in its approach. Bill has taken his 18 plus years of experience in volunteering and serving at St. John’s Bread and Life and artfully juxtaposed the human stories of Bread and Life guests and workers, his interactions, and a powerful understanding of the social theories of poverty into a very engaging and thoughtful book.
As Executive Director I finished the book awash with mixed feelings. It was wonderful for me to have fleshed out those individuals who have served and been served and on whose solid shoulders I rest. It was enlightening as it argued and critiqued the many theories related to the causes of poverty and responses to it. It was a challenging read that all too clearly pointed out the challenges, pitfalls and limitations of the effectiveness of what we do.
Bread and Life is proud that we can be part of this so important conversation regarding responses to poverty and hunger. This book is a marvelous example of the continual commitment of those who minister here at Bread and Life to not accept what is but rather to “fight the good fight and run the race”.
