Here's what I've discovered: You can work hard, do all the right things and still teeter on the edge of poverty. In the restaurant industry -- as well as in many industries in this new "gig economy" -- there are often no steady salaries, no paid sick days, no employee health plans and no maternity leave.

It's possible to work multiple jobs and still not have enough left for essentials like food. Or maybe you have enough for food, but not food and rent. We love to praise people for being industrious and "self-made," but only if they become wildly rich and successful as a result. What about those of us working ourselves to the bone but still struggling to get by each month? Why are we being shamed when we ask for help?