In our round table with ServErie, a local service organization, the first solution to the issue of poverty in Erie were consistent: understand that there is a problem.

"There are many people that have intentionally said I'm going to pretend that doesn't exist, because they don't want to wrestle with the ugliness of it", said Marcus Atkinson, Executive Director. 

ServErie has been in operation since 2016 and has been able to supply other outlets with resources during the pandemic.

However, they know that concerns will continue even after COVID-19 ends.

"These kind of needs are ever present, and it takes something like this to say, oh man, we need to meet those needs", Atkinson says. "Well, when CNN is no longer interested and Fox News is no longer interested, and this thing subsides, many of these needs are still there".

Once the problem is identified, ServErie believes that the younger generation could be a catalyst for sparking change in the city.

The organizations says they see the ideas and motivation of this generation and hopes they will be able to continue to assist the community in the fight to end poverty.

Ashley Westgate, Program Director, says that anytime is a great opportunity to involve yourself in community service, even if it isn't a monetary donation: "If this is something that you feel connected to or that you see now, it is always going to be there. You are always welcome to stay in this all year round".

And Atkinson believes that joining any service organization can be pivitol in keeping positive momentum going in finding solutions. "A great place to start is to become more serious about who's on the front lines solving this problem".

Other organizations such as Erie Together have also been providing programs and other outlets to help solve the issue of poverty in Erie.

This series is being supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.