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From Poverty to Prosperity
Brothers Bob and Bill Belka and their wives, Kathy and Beth, are members of a wonderfully close-knit family who, despite facing their own challenges, have found a way to help others.
Bob and Bill grew up in South Philly along with one other brother. Their parents began their lives together during the Great Depression in a burnt-out apartment with no heat. Their father was a textile worker and their mother worked at times. They still had difficulty making ends meet and were too proud to ask for help. Instead, they became very creative out of their necessity to keep their house warm and food on the table for their three growing boys. “As children, we would visit local dumps
in search of whatever treasures we could find,” said Bob. “We would sell them in order to buy food.”
Kathy’s family was neither resourceful nor creative, and she still has pain and anger about it. She grew up in the Kensington-area of Philadelphia, the fourth of eight children. Her father, a machinist at the University of Pennsylvania, spent most of his income on alcohol. At night, in order to soothe their empty bellies and coax them to sleep, the children would often be promised a big breakfast in the morning. There was never a big breakfast. In addition to being hungry, there was also violence in the household. Kathy and her siblings have all worked hard to break that cycle with their own children. Kathy now lives in a stable and supportive environment and has found peace in her experiences.
Beth, one of 11 children, also faced extreme hardships as a child. While she didn’t live in a violent home, often times there was only a limited amount of food and, if they were lucky, the older children were the last to eat.
In January 2004, the Belka’s started a food pantry in their church’s basement in an effort to help their neighbors and during the first month, they provided food to 14 families. Today the Belka’s help an average of 100 families each month. “It feels like I’m feeding my brothers and sisters,” says Kathy, “which I was unable to do as a child.”
Sadly, at the time of this interview, Bill and Beth had just lost their son-in-law, Sam Torres, who passed away suddenly and much too young. He, too, was dedicated to helping those in need. You can help to make a difference in the lives of others by making a financial donation, in memory of Sam Torres.
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