Ruben Johnson-Santiago knows what living in poverty feels like. It’s the reason he can empathize with the hundreds of people he sees monthly, families struggling through the pandemic because of lost jobs and dealing with shrinking resources. He’s become a fixture in the New London area over the past several months, organizing food distribution events, backpack and school supply giveaways, winter coat collections, a barbeque, toy drive and just about anything else he thinks can make a difference. He said he was recently laid off because of the pandemic and the outreach initiatives have become his full-time vocation.