As part of an effort by the Rural Outreach Center’s attempt to raise awareness about the challenges people face living in poverty, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz today announced he will participate in a new community-wide campaign next month called “ROC Resolutions Challenge.”

To help shine a light on poverty, Poloncarz vows to spend no more than $6.36 per day on food, which is the average amount spent by a person on poverty daily in Erie County. Poloncarz will document his efforts from Monday, January 2 through Sunday, January 8 using his Facebook and Twitter social media accounts as he attempts to stay within the $6.36 a day restriction, which works out to $44.52 for the week.

“Poverty is something that exists everywhere,” said Poloncarz. “No community is immune to it, including Erie County. I hope my efforts next week focusing on how much of a struggle it is to be able to eat three full meals a day on such a limited amount of money will help raise awareness of the challenges people living in poverty face. I encourage people to track my weeklong journey as this new community initiative helps create empathy and better understanding for those living in poverty.”

The ROC Resolutions Challenge will focus on a different obstacle often encountered by those living in poverty. In addition to Poloncarz’s focus on food from Jan. 2-Jan. 8, other topics that will be highlighted include transportation (Jan. 9-Jan. 15), utilities (Jan. 16-Jan. 22) and clothing (Jan. 23-Jan. 29.)

Poloncarz’s progress on his $6.36 per day on food journey can be tracked by following him on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Mark.Poloncarz/ and on Twitter https://twitter.com/markpoloncarz

For more information:

About the “ROC Resolution Challenge,” visit: https://theroc.co/roc-resolutions/