Story
Justice in Real Life: James
Working hard—and still going hungry.
Lawrenceville, VA
James Thompson III works in construction, earning $16 an hour– but lately, he’s only getting about 10 hours of work each week. He’s trying to go back to school, hoping to qualify for a job with one of the new tech facilities coming to the region. But in the meantime, he’s just trying to make it through the day.
His teeth have been hurting for a while. Antibiotics and over-the-counter pain relievers didn’t help, so he came to the Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic in Emporia for dental care he couldn’t otherwise afford.
What weighs on him just as much as the pain is the cost of food.
These days, you have to have at least two jobs to eat three meals a day.
“These days, you have to have at least two jobs to eat three meals a day,” James said. “And I don’t see how it’s going to get any better.”
He skips breakfast. He often skips lunch. For James and many people he knows, eating once a day is all they can manage.
James’s story is one of thousands across Virginia—working adults doing everything right, yet still forced to choose between meals and medicine, education and survival. Hunger, housing insecurity, and barriers to care are not the result of poor choices—they’re the result of policy choices.
Virginia Poverty Law Center fights to change those choices—by advocating for stronger safety nets, and a legal system that doesn’t leave people behind.
No one should have to skip meals to stay afloat. The work continues until every Virginian has the chance not just to survive, but to thrive.
Justice in Real Life is a photography and storytelling campaign launched by VPLC in 2025. It shares real stories from Virginians facing poverty and injustice, highlighting their struggles and the changes we’re advocating for. Want to tell your story? Contact VPLC Communications Director Connie Stevens, connie@vplc.org.
