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ALBANY, GA -- All too often people turn a blind eye to poverty. The organization "Strive to Thrive" was looking to change that, by hosting a poverty simulator.

"What that is is giving allies and volunteers as well as families the opportunity to kind of live the life of someone who's in poverty, by giving them real world situations," said Strive to Thrive representative, Ausha Jackson.

And poverty comes in all shapes and sizes, which this exercise attempts to show.

"A lot of people don't see the same situations, but the simulator is giving you the opportunity to see how people live daily," said Strive to Thrive representative, Kahadijah Nuriddin.

In the simulation each family is given a packet which could include a car, job or money. However other groups don't receive these items, allowing participants the chance to understand the uncertainty of poverty.

"The main purpose of this exercise is for middle class individuals to understand the decision making process of people in poverty, a lot of time I’ll get asked the question, why don't they just get a job, and that's not always the answer because the families in poverty face many barriers," said Jackson.

hose barriers can range from monetary issues to simply needing a helping hand.

"Sometimes it’s lack of help, lack of resources, and sometimes when we do go into public places sometimes we get mistreated," said Strive to Thrive representative, Jeanetta Miles.

"Strive to Thrive" hopes that each participant learned how some people face poverty head on, and were able to gain a better knowledge of what those in poverty go through every day.