Lines get long at the local mock grocery store during the middle of the simulation.

As the seasons change and many of us head back to work or classes through January, you can see the outlook of a new year.This can mean a vacation or the hope of finishing the school year and the positivity of a fresh start.
Some people in our community don’t always see the light of a new year as they struggle with daily poverty.
This can lead to not being able to put food on the table not only for yourself, but in some cases your children.
The United Way has brought it to the attention of the public by doing a poverty simulation where groups come in to experience what it feels like.
“We want to provide an educational opportunity. There are people in our community who know what poverty is like and then there are other people who don’t. We want to give people the experience for a short time what poverty is like so they can emphasize with others who might be in that situation,” said Connolly Tate- Mitchell, Communications Coordinator at the United Way and organizer of these simulations.

Participants go through four weeks of tasks in situations where they don’t have all of the right necessities to get through the week.
It was an eye opener to most who took part in the exercise.
“How difficult it can be with a variety of circumstances when it’s already difficult financially and then other unforeseeable events sort of occur and then trying to manage that,” said Jon Koegler.
Koegler participated in his first simulation and found the challenges of staying ahead.
“I sort of lost track of what I needed to get done and was basically trying to bounce around to each place to see if I needed to do anything else,” added Koegler.
It supplies participants with a way to see how some people live in our community and aren’t aware of exactly what they live through every day.
“It gives you a perspective from other people’s point of view that you may not have,” said Anne Epp, who volunteered for her second simulation.
These simulations are a way for people to get out into the community and reach out a helping hand to help out those in need.
“One of the easiest things you can do is to donate. Donate your time, your talent, or your treasure,” said Mitchell-Tate.
The United Way puts on simulations throughout the year and are put on by request. Anyone can take part in a simulation and the public can contact the United Way for the next available simulation date.