HNA column
By Jennifer Wilcoxon
Let’s Talk Change
New Albany Food Pantry language programs are changing the lives of their clients
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Angie Ojeda-Kreiman and Karissa Esala
We started with 24 pairs in fall 2020. Due to COVID-19, Conversation Partners is virtual, but our participants
The New Albany Food Pantry introduced an English speaking program. 44
think of it as having coffee with a neighbor. One pantry client practices job interview questions with her partner. Another feels that conversing with her partner is “so nice and comfortable, it’s like talking with an old friend.” Some pantry clients do not qualify for the Conversation Partners Program because they know little or no English. This inspired us to apply for a grant through HMSHost Foundation to purchase Rosetta Stone English Language Learning technology. We currently serve 20 pantry clients in this program that rapidly improves their language skills. “We are very grateful for the opportunity that the New Albany Food Pantry has given us to begin the great dream of learning English,” says a client. “For us, the most frustrating issues are not being able to communicate or express our emotions and needs.” Communication is a basic human need and a necessary skill to live a full life. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com
Photos courtesy of Healthy New Albany
he New Albany Food Pantry recently surveyed pantry clients to determine how to better serve our neighbors. Among our population of Spanish speakers, we uncovered a need to learn English. So, we expanded our Community Resource Library offerings to include programs and outreach designed to meet this need, including “Conversation Partners” and Rosetta Stone programs. Inability to speak English fluently creates barriers for clients and can prohibit them from getting higher paying jobs to earn a living wage. So, we developed the Conversation Partners Program under the direction of the pantry’s English Language Learners (ELL) Coordinator, Angie Ojeda-Kreiman. Conversation Partners matches English speaking volunteers with English Language Learners from our pantry community. The program provides a potential friend, and both partners have the opportunity to learn about the other’s culture and life experiences.
