When Melissa Rice walked into a room full of middle-class, college-educated professionals for a meeting meant to discuss the poverty related issues in Muskingum County, the single mom who works a part-time, minimum wage job didn’t think anyone there could understand the struggles she goes through on a daily basis.

Rice was one of a handful of locals living in poverty invited to take part in the inaugural session of the Zanesville Think Tank on Poverty (ZTTP).

The think tank derives from the Newark Think Tank on Poverty (NTTP) and consists of representatives from several charitable organizations throughout Muskingum county, such as Christ’s Table, South East Area Transit (SEAT), and Forever Dads, as well as experts on poverty who have lived through the many problems ZTTP aims to address.

Like NTTP, Zanesville’s think tank values the input from all socioeconomic backgrounds, but the opinions of those who come from the working and poor class are especially dominant.

With expertise coming from various backgrounds related to poverty, the group hopes to get to the bottom of the problems brought to the table and find real, attainable solutions that can make a long-term change for those facing hard times.

The think tank is committed to meeting the needs of those they serve, which could mean addressing the stigma associated with ex-criminal offenders, working with public officials so that the voices of the underserved are heard, and speaking to employers about unfair conditions and pay for the working class.

The Newark Think Tank on Poverty began in 2014 as a special project of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Christian charity and justice organization.

“The think tank came about because we were really passionate about also working on justice,” said Wendy Tarr, director of the Vincentian Ohio Action Network and leader of the Newark Think Tank on Poverty. “We really wanted to do that in a way that brought to the table people who were experiencing the issues directly in order to identify challenges in the community and empower people who are often no being heard on the issues that impact their life.”

However, the think tank is more than a charity.

“Charity won’t get us out of this situation. It will keep us alive so we can fight, and that’s important, but we have to change the systems,” said Allen Schwartz, a founding member of the Newark Think Tank on Poverty.

Schwartz highlighted the systemic issue of companies valuing profits over people. He mentioned big factories in Newark and Zanesville that have been around for generations outsourcing to other countries, leaving the communities that built those companies on their backs.

According to Schwartz, many people who lose those factory jobs see it as the end for them and often medicate with drugs.

That’s why the NTTP currently focuses its services on people recovering from drug abuse in addition to individuals coping with mental health issues and those returning to society from prison.

While members of  Zanesville’s Think Tank haven’t quite established their own target needs, they took the first step during their meeting Wednesday night.

Those in attendance were directed to write down their answers to three questions in order to get the conversation flowing:

1. What are the issues that are keeping you and your family in poverty?
2. What is happening in the city- gaps or needs- that if addressed would help reduce poverty in your family or community?
3. What keeps you worried and up at night?

From there, the rest of the night was spent speaking about those needs and what could be done to solve the problems impoverished people face in Muskingum County.

Of the key topics discussed, jobs proved to be predominant. It wasn’t just the availability of jobs that seemed to be the concern, but the availability of full-time jobs that pay livable wages.

Melissa Rice shared her story of being a single parent while working a retail job that employs her just 16 hours per week at a pay rate just above minimum wage. She previously worked a full-time position at another retailer before the hours were cut in half and hasn’t found another full-time position since.

That’s why Rice was invited to ZTTP by Kristine Geis, state representative candidate for Ohio’s 97th district, so her input could be heard.

As the meeting came to an end, Rice admitted to the room she didn’t think anyone there with pockets a little deeper than hers could empathize with her needs, but she came to believe they actually cared about her and that something positive might actually come from the think tank.

The next Zanesville Think Tank on Poverty meeting is June 26 at Forever Dads located at 109 Madison Street in Zanesville. A free dinner will be served at 5 p.m. with the meeting to follow at 6 p.m.