from WTOP A touching story of Lily Mackley, who helped another little girl in Guatemala. By TIFFANY ARNOLDHer name is Veronica Par. She is 10 and has five siblings. The youngest, 1, sleeps in the bed with the parents while the rest of the children sleep on cardboard pallets on the concrete floor. Her father earns $16 a week as a gardener. Her mother earns $2 a week by making beaded jewelry."It's easy for (us), but it might not be easy for them to earn up that money," said Mackley, who begins her first year at Smithsburg Middle School this fall.Thanks to Mackley, who lives in Smithsburg, Veronica's family has one less thing to worry about. In April, Mackley used her birthday money to help offset Veronica's school expenses.Mackley said she did it because she felt obligated to help her...
from the Baltimore Sun via Tropix By Jonathan BorNearly one in eight families taking children to the University of Maryland Medical Center's emergency room and primary care clinic lack enough food to ensure good nutrition - putting the youngsters at risk for growth and learning problems, a study has found.Acting on the finding, the city health department yesterday announced a plan to screen children for signs of hunger and to link families to food pantries and federal nutrition programs such as food stamps and Women Infants and Children.'The underlying cause of hunger in Baltimore is poverty, so I don't think better coordination will make the whole problem go away, but it's going to help a lot more people,,' said Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein.Though citywide...
from the Baltimore SunMaryland may be affluent overall, but poverty traps families, including children, throughout the stateBy Sumathi ReddyThe statistics are eye-opening - if not startling.In Maryland, one of the most affluent states in the nation, significant swaths of poverty endure in urban and rural areas, among families and children.In Baltimore, 22.2 percent of residents live in poverty, new Census Bureau estimates show.To the east in Somerset County, the figure is 20.1 percent.And to the west in Allegany County, 15 percent of residents live in poverty.In a state where life for most residents has improved, those on the lowest rungs remain stuck. Their situation is made more difficult by Maryland's high cost of living, as well as by a lack of adequate programs for job training and...
from The Baltimore SunRalph E. Moore Jr. used the inspiration of the Rev. Martin Luther King's economic justice campaign to begin an annual job fair that has grown every year since it began in 2002. By Kelly Brewington | Sun reporter"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others. In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother to a higher and more noble life." -- The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.Pasted to Ralph E. Moore Jr.'s door at St. Frances Academy Community Center is a poignant quote from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. It's not about having...
from the Baltimore SunBy Ben MeyersonCapital News ServiceWASHINGTONMaryland had the lowest percentage of children younger than 5 living in poverty of any of the United States in 2005, according to new estimates from the Census Bureau.The survey said 12.2 percent of children younger than 5 lived below the poverty line in Maryland, compared with a national average of 21.3 percent, according to a survey released by the Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program.Maryland also had the second-lowest overall poverty rate in the nation, as well as the second-highest median household income, according to the survey.The state moved up the ladder in each of these categories from 2004's survey, which might lead some to believe the state's welfare programs are doing well,...
from The Examiner Stephen Janis, The ExaminerBALTIMORE -Fewer Maryland residents lived in poverty while household income across the state inched up, according to the latest estimates released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.An estimated 453,850 Maryland residents lived at or below the federal poverty line in 2005 — 8.3 percent of all state residents — down from 506,265 in 2004. That’s an 11 percent decline year over year.The federal poverty threshold was $19,350 for a family of four in 2005.>span class="fullpost">The report was part of a comprehensive survey of poverty in the United States required by the No Child Left Behind Act, a federal law that ties federal funding to school test scores.The report also included data on household incomes nationwide.The median household...
from The Baltimore SunBy Andrew A. GreenAlvin Thornton, who headed Maryland's commission on quality education, said a new study questioning how school districts have spent money allocated to help students in poverty should spark a review of how the landmark education funding formula bearing his name is administered.The report, released yesterday by Advocates for Children and Youth, concludes that $500 million designed to help poor students is instead being funneled into general improvements.The report examined the school budgets of Baltimore City and Baltimore, Montgomery, Prince George's and Washington counties. It found they were collectively spending less on targeted interventions for students in poverty than they were before the Thornton money was approved.ACY is advocating for...
from The Gazette MarylandBlack and poverty are too often synonymous, and the nation needs an agenda of new policies to defeat poverty for everyone, said the participants at the Poverty, Race and Policy Forum organized by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Wednesday.Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Baltimore, exhorted the organization and the audience to work on new proposals to solve the problem.‘‘It is not good enough to have a report, it’s how you bring it to life and make it work,” Cummings said.A document from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, center of the forum’s discussion, said that 37 million Americans are living in poverty. And it showed that by 2004, poverty rates for blacks had risen to 24.7 percent.Among several members of the Congressional Black Caucus,...