More Than a Meal: Finding Our Power at the Thanksgiving Distribution by Lezlee
November 22, while volunteers handed out bags and boxes of food at the Urban League of Pittsburgh’s annual Thanksgiving distribution, members of Southwest Put People First! PA were doing more than addressing hunger. We were planting seeds of power. Member by member, we connected with our neighbors, sharing the conviction that healthcare and food are not privileges to be begged for, but fundamental rights we can claim together.
The system counts on our exhaustion. But we see through it.
We see it in the eyes of a parent, defeated by a broken SNAP application.
We hear it in the voice of a neighbor, locked out of COMPASS as their healthcare vanishes with an error message.
We feel it in the dread of January, when ACA premiums are set to skyrocket.
We recognize the political games that treat our survival as a bargaining chip.
This isn’t abstract. For many of us, this is our story—trapped in the gap where you earn too much for help but too little to afford the “affordable” care.
That’s why we are organizing not just in protest, but for a shared reality. In the richest nation in history, we are building the power to secure what every person deserves:
- The Right to Eat: Defend SNAP and build a future where no one questions their right to food.
- The Right to Heal: Establish a Pennsylvania where healthcare is guaranteed, not gambled.
- The Right to Shelter: Secure housing for every one of us.
The hardship is real, but in it, our roots are growing deeper and our solidarity stronger. We are not just asking for a seat at the table—we are building a new one, right here, right now.
