Each autumn season in the states many CROP walks are held thought the country. CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty. The program is from the World Church Service, who uses the CROP walks to raise funds for their hunger efforts. A quarter of the funds stay in the local community.During the autumn we come across quite a few mentions of CROP walks in our daily searching for news items. So,I figured I would combine the couple I found yesterday into one post.First, One that is taking place in the Carolinas. Amy Clarke writes for the Greenville News.from the Greenville TimesThe 23rd annual Clemson-area CROP Walk will kick off with registration at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Andrew's Catholic Church. Walkers will set out at 2:30 p.m. Two routes are available -- a 1-mile waterfront...
Now here is a great idea! Clubs devoted to Microcredit are springing up on college campuses. And what better place to have such a club than in a higher learning institution, much better than a rugby club if you ask me. All kidding aside, the newspaper for Northwestern University profiled the campus Microfinance club. Emily Wray detailed the club's goals.Traveling to rural areas of Africa and India. Starting banks in small villages. Finding ways to fund local education and health care.These are just a few of the goals of Northwestern's Microfinance Club.Microfinance provides small loans for low-income people in underdeveloped countries so that they can work their way out of poverty, said Jesse Wiener, a member of the club's executive board.The Microfinance Club hopes to increase student...
from Tulsa World by Kim ArcherThe mortality rate for infants of Oklahoma high school dropouts is nearly double the rate for children of mothers who completed college, a new national study states.Released by the nonprofit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the study is the first of its kind to link child health to a parent's income and educational level, said Dr. Paula Braveman, one of the study's authors."What may be most startling to pople is that middle-class children also fare worse than children in wealthy families," she said during a media teleconference this week.Overall, the general health of Oklahoma children in every income or education group did not meet the national benchmark, the report said.The findings don't surprise Jan Figart, associate director of Tulsa's Community Service...
from the Hilltop Online by Sharon TaylorWith the economy on a downward slope, Howard students are faced with the task of finding money for the rising costs of books, tuition, housing and gas.Many have found the value in government assistance, specifically food stamps, to meet their needs."It was easy to get food stamps," said junior political science major Allen Jordan. "All I had to do was go to the financial aid building, get a financial aid verification form, then take it down to the social services department."But in the state that the economy is in, some students are finding other ways to stay afloat.Nevertheless, senior broadcast journalism Alesha Johnson thinks that as a college student, there is nothing wrong with receiving government assistance."I feel that I am entitled,"...
from the Daytona Daily News By Lynn HulseyThe people who help the needy try to describe the current economic crisis without using cliches like "perfect storm" or "vicious circle." But they are left grasping for better words.Unemployment is on the rise, food stamp and cash assistance rolls are growing, home foreclosures are rampant, food pantries are running low, and it's getting harder to afford food, gas and health care.The signs of growing need are everywhere, with social service and government agencies reporting an influx of people who've never had to ask for help before. And just as the need is growing, cash-strapped governments are cutting back, and the state may need to borrow money from the federal government early next year to pay unemployment claims.There hasn't been this...
from the Associated Press via Google By BECKY BOHRER NEW ORLEANS — A prolonged recession and a tight credit market would cripple New Orleans' still-fragile recovery from Hurricane Katrina, delaying or eliminating road work, new construction and repairs to homes and businesses that have stood empty since 2005.The city's infrastructure plans should stay on track, but a real estate expert calls it a "terrifying" scenario: A lack of sufficient credit would smother companies trying to start up or expand, and with them the new jobs needed to grow the area's economy. It would choke the flow of cash that developers need to build new homes and first-time homeowners need to buy them. And it would make it tough for the city to sell bonds to finance rebuilding projects on its appointed...
from the USA TodayBy Andrea Stone, USA TODAYA charity that provides water to African villages posts locations of new wells using Google Earth, and a 13-year-old contributor in Manhattan tracks the progress.A cancer charity accepts "micro-donations" of $5 by text message.An orchestra in Michigan begins posting videos of its performances on YouTube to try to draw patrons.The United States long has been a nation of givers, but a new generation is transforming the way we do good. Millennials and Generation Xers, especially those 20- and 30-somethings starting careers, may not have the bucks to be major donors, but they are finding ways to help others and prompting big changes in the way charities raise money.Young people are "not just making checks and going on with their lives. They want to...
from the Connecticut Post By LINDA CONNER LAMBECKBRIDGEPORT -- In just a year, encouraging signs on the status of Bridgeport's children have tanked, plummeting in several categories from a grade of A-plus to F in the annual report issued Monday by the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition.The infant mortality rate has increased 50 percent from the agency's 2007 report. The city's dropout rate has risen 18 percent. Cases of abused or neglected children spiked 12 percent. And there is a 20 percent boost in the number of teenagers having babies."In today's uncertain times, Bridgeport children are barely keeping their heads above water," said Barbara Edinberg, the BCAC assistant director, in releasing its 2008 "State of the Child in Bridgeport."Edith Cassidy, the BCAC board chairwoman, said...
"The genetically vicious nature of presidential campaigns in America is too obvious to argue with, but some people call it fun, and I am one of them. Election Day -- especially a presidential election -- is always a wild and terrifying time for politics junkies, and I am one of those, too. We look forward to major election days like sex addicts look forward to orgies. We are slaves to it."
---Hunter S. Thompson...
from the San Bernardino Sun by Stephen Wall,Sergio Espinoza worries about his mom's future.When the economy was strong, the 36-year-old Mexican immigrant used to send $300 or $400 a month to his mom and other relatives in his hometown.With the United States teetering on the brink of financial collapse, the cash flow heading south of the border has dried up."I haven't sent any money home for three months. Not one penny," said Espinoza.Espinoza said his widowed mom, Maria de la Cruz, survives on dollars he wires from the United States. She lives in Jacona, a city of 53,000 people in the western state of Michoacan.Lately, Espinoza has been able to find work only two or three times a week. If he's lucky, he'll earn $60 or $70 a day."The situation is bad here," Espinoza said in Spanish, "and...
from the Technician Online by Cheyenne AutryNourish International is an organization that aims to reduce poverty through student action, both on and off campus. The organization incorporates students into developing countries to help create economic change and reduce destitution. The organization also works with nongovernmental organizations and held a hunger lunch on Tuesday to raise funds for upcoming projects, which usually cost about $5,000."We see a huge need in the world to help and this is our way of doing what we can with what we have," said co-chair Anushri Desai, a junior in biochemistry. "Sometimes we try to turn a blind eye to hunger because it can be a little hard to take in."Nourish International sponsored two trips last year, one to Uganda and one to Guatemala.Kelly Dew, a...
from the St Petersburg Times By RICHARD DANIELSON;TAMPA -- Even in kindergarten, R.J. struggled in school, saying he often felt like a "bad boy" who was "dumb."His problems included behavioral or emotional disabilities, frustration at not keeping up with classmates and a lack of coping skills.Within two years, he was suspended regularly for being disruptive. But an advocacy group says Hillsborough schools failed to give him adequate counseling and support.Now three civil rights groups say that kind of missed opportunity deprives R.J. and students like him of the chance to learn.The Southern Poverty Law Center, the Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities and the NAACP filed a 20-page complaint Wednesday with the state Department of Education over Hillsborough's treatment of students...
from the Indianapolis Star By Bill McCleeryA prestigious award from the U.S. Department of Education has sparked a spirit of celebration at Hawthorne Elementary School in Warren Township.The school won recognition for two consecutive years of making "adequate yearly progress" under goals set forth by the federal No Child Left Behind law despite serving a high-poverty area.The award -- formally called the "Distinguished Title 1 School Award" -- essentially declared Hawthorne the state's top model for schools serving low-income populations."This year we have 68 percent (of students) receiving the free and reduced lunch," said Principal Phil Talbert, referring to the federal program for students from low-income families."The research says high-poverty kids cannot achieve as high as kids...
from the Munster Times INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- As many as 10,000 Indiana children became eligible Wednesday for the State Children's Health Insurance Program under a recently approved expansion, state officials said.The expansion of eligibility to children up to age 19 in households earning up to 2.5 times the federal poverty level was approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in May. The new eligibility level is a sliding scale that includes families of two earning up to $35,000 per year and families of four earning up to $53,000.Families with children newly eligible under the expansion will need to pay higher premiums, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration said.Households earning 200 percent to 225 percent the poverty level will pay $42 per month for one...
from the Las Cruses Sun NewsBy Diana M. AlbaLAS CRUCES — Poverty is one of the most significant factors impacting public education in the state, said New Mexico Public Education Department Secretary Veronica Garc'a during a visit to Las Cruces on Tuesday.Garc'a addressed a group of educators from across the country attending the Interstate Migrant Education Conference, which runs through Wednesday.Garc'a said the state is taking a "holistic" approach toward improving education and is attempting to address all the needs of children. For instance, she said, school districts have worked to improve the health of students by removing unhealthy foods from vending machines. Also, she said the state is attempting to make sure students eat breakfast, which helps them focus in class and cuts...
from the Star Press By KEITH ROYSDONMUNCIE -- A new Ball State University study maintains that Muncie's poverty rate is lower than previously announced, which prompted one local advocate for the poor to say the study might be an over-simplification.One thing that the study's author and local experts in dealing with poverty can agree on: The number of the working poor locally is high and might even amount to a third of the city's population.The first of a three-part report, "Understanding Regional Poverty: What is Poverty," was released this week by the Bureau of Business Research at Ball State University.The report, by economist Michael Hicks, reiterates points made in September 2007, when experts said changes in how the U.S. Census measures poverty skewed the government's estimation of...
from the Washington Post By Joel BergWhen social services advocates like me hear that the cost of the federal bailout of the finance sector might top a trillion dollars, we're not quite sure how to process such a massive figure.Our country has been told that a gargantuan government rescue of the private sector is necessary because the collapse of major financial institutions would lead to unthinkable outcomes for society. Almost as if by magic, our nation's leaders conjure up vast sums to respond to this crisis.Yet when advocates point out that our nation is facing an altogether different kind of crisis, one of soaring hunger and homelessness, and that a large-scale bailout is needed to prevent social service providers nationwide from buckling under the increasing load, we are told that...
from the Buffalo News By Harold McNeilMembers of the three Abrahamic faiths and other religious traditions broke bread together and endeavored to collectively address local poverty during an event Wednesday in the Islamic Society and Mosque, 745 Heim Road, Getzville.The third annual "Tent of Abraham" coincides with the Muslim observance of Ramadan, a monthlong period of daily fasting. The aim, according to Dr. Khalid J. Qazi, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council of Western New York, is to invite those of other faith traditions to join local Muslims in collecting nonperishable food items and cash donations for distribution to the area's needy through the Food Pantry of Western New York and Viva La Casa."The Muslim Public Affairs Council of Western New York started this two years...
from the Chicago Tribune By Judith Graham A groundbreaking bill extending hospital discounts to people without health insurance has become law after the legislature overturned Gov. Rod Blagojevich's amendatory veto.The Illinois House voted 97-0 Tuesday to endorse the original measure, which was passed unanimously in June. The Senate's vote Monday was 55-0. The legislation requires hospitals to offer significant discounts to uninsured Illinoisans. Instead of paying the full sticker price—typically two to three times the actual cost of care—consumers will pay charges based on the actual cost plus a 35 percent markup.To qualify for discounts, consumers have to meet financial criteria. In urban areas, families who earn up to six times the federal poverty level—$127,200 for a family of...
from Comtex San Juan, Sep 23, 2008 (EFE via COMTEX) -- Almost half of Puerto Ricans last year lived below the poverty line, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released Tuesday.The median household income in the U.S. commonwealth last year was $17,741, though the figure for families including a married couple was $26,930.The data published by the Census Bureau show that the 45.5 percent of Puerto Ricans living in poverty included 11.2 percent of the island's college graduates and more than 62 percent of people who didn't complete high school.The report also states that in 2007, 66 percent of the population over 25 years of age had a high school diploma, while in 2000 the figure had been 60 percent.Among the 25-34 age group, the percentage of those who had a high school diploma was...
from the New Orleans Times Picayune By Mark WallerWorried that welfare costs are rising as the number of taxpayers declines, state Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, said Tuesday he is studying a plan to pay poor women $1,000 to have their Fallopian tubes tied. "We're on a train headed to the future and there's a bridge out," LaBruzzo said of what he suspects are dangerous demographic trends. "And nobody wants to talk about it."LaBruzzo said he worries that people receiving government aid such as food stamps and publicly subsidized housing are reproducing at a faster rate than more affluent, better-educated people who presumably pay more tax revenue to the government. He said he is gathering statistics now."What I'm really studying is any and all possibilities that we can reduce the number...
from the New Statesman by Nick DeardenBailing out the banks without progress on the world's problems such as poverty and climate change is like socialism for the rich. It's time for proper regulation...Gordon Brown’s conversion to financial regulation this weekend is certainly better late than never. He has joined a wide range of statesmen who, despite their role in maintaining “hands off” global finance, have come to see the error of their ways.In May the great and the good of European social democracy, led by Jacques Delors and Jacques Santer, both former Presidents of the European Commission, declared in a letter that “Financial markets can not govern us!”.In fact much of the world has been governed by financial markets for decades, and the severe poverty which still exists...
from the Tribune Review Vickie Allman said she was in the midst of a tough time in her life emotionally and financially as a divorce left her a single mom with four kids ranging in age from 5 to 17. "I was at that point in my life that I needed to do something. I wasn't sure what exactly I needed to do," she said. Today she is one of four Jeannette residents who are the first to graduate from a program called Circles, presented by Westmoreland Community Action. It's geared toward ending poverty and changing the mind-set and goals of a community. The four graduates are known as "leaders" in the Circles program. "It's a real good feeling, because we had a chance of losing our house," said Eugene Smorey, who is involved in the program with his wife, Tina. "We learned a whole lot from the...
from the Chillicothe GazetteBy JONA ISONBAINBRIDGE - As Pike County prepared to walk for hunger, a group of Paint Valley High School students emerged from cardboard boxes in an effort to raise money for the same cause.The fundraisers were for CROP - Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty - which was begun in 1947 by Church World Service. CROP is an officially endorsed charity of the Ohio FFA, which is how students at Paint Valley became involved.Instead of doing a walk, the traditional fundraiser for CROP, FFA advisor John Peters has been doing a "Cardboard City" for the last 12 years. When he started at Paint Valley, he brought the concept with him and has had between 40 and 50 students volunteer each year to sleep in a cardboard box overnight in front of the school for a minimum...
from Peace FM Online, Ghana Ghana and the United States, starting this September, would begin distributing medicines to about eight million people as part of a new initiative to fight neglected tropical diseases, President George Bush, has announced.The two countries, he said, stood as one in their work to free people from diseases.President Bush was speaking after bilateral talks at the Oval Office in the White House with President John Agyekum Kufuor, who is on a four-day State Visit to the country.The visit at the invitation of President Bush is to re-enforce the strong and enduring ties of friendship between the two countries. Their discussions centred on the promotion of economic opportunities, education and the fight against malaria and other diseases plaguing Africa. President...
from Kansas City Info Zine By Christine VestalEven as the economy pushes more people into poverty, revenue-strapped states can be expected to make further cutbacks in social welfare spending, particularly in poor states where people need it most.That's according to a new report by the Rockefeller Institute of Government, which tracked state and local spending on all forms of low-income assistance programs from 1977 to 2006."As states deal with the economic downturn in 2009, I would expect more cuts in social welfare programs while the reported number of poor people is increasing," Thomas Gais, lead researcher on the study, told Stateline.org.Making matters worse, he said, states will be trimming welfare budgets that already are lower on a per-person, inflation-adjusted basis than at any...
from the Boston Globe By David Abel,The number of children in the state living in poverty is increasing, pushing Massachusetts lower in the ranking of states with children in need, according to a new report.The report, released yesterday by Massachusetts Citizens for Children, highlights new data from the US Census Bureau that show 182,000 children, 13 percent of all children under age 18 in Massachusetts, lived below the federal poverty line last year, 4,000 more than in 2006.The state last year ranked 11th in the percentage of children living in poverty, below Alaska, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maryland, Hawaii, Minnesota, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. In 2006, Massachusetts ranked fifth."These 182,000 children would form an unbroken line the entire length of the 138-mile...
from The Salinas Californian This is a little off topic, but it was an angle of the foreclosure crisis that I haven't seen explored before. - KaleBy NICK RAHAIMAfter a few, futile months of perusing classified ads, talking to property managers and checking out houses for rent, it took a connection through a family friend for Penny and Tom Bubnis to find a place to live."It was a major pain to find an affordable, clean house in a good neighborhood," Tom Bubnis said.The Bubnises - like thousands of other families in Salinas - entered the rental market after their house was foreclosed upon."Rental units are in high demand at this point," said Michael Rodriguez, broker/owner of Platinum Capital Mortgage & Estate. "The folks who were displaced outnumber the number of rental units...
from the Wisconsin State Journal By Matthew DeFourMayor Dave Cieslewicz's plan to disperse Madison's pockets of poverty around the county is moving forward this week, though legal issues could limit the mayor's proposal to merge city and county public housing operations.Cieslewicz in April floated the idea to create a regional housing authority by joining the Dane County Housing Authority and Madison's Housing Operations division, which is overseen by the Community Development Authority.A regional authority could ensure that poor families aren't concentrated in Madison's public school system and would save money by reducing duplicated services, Cieslewicz said during his state of the city address.Since then, City Attorney Michael May issued an opinion that the city and county agencies...
from The Star Press A new U.S. Census Bureau report which found 41 percent of Bloomington residents living in poverty is somewhat misleading because of the city's large population of college students, officials say.The report, which includes Indiana University students in its figures, found that Bloomington's poverty rate grew from 34.7 percent in 2006 to 41.6 percent 2007 — a nearly 7 percent rise.But the numbers are skewed because many IU students either have no incomes or paltry paychecks from part-time jobs, said Barry Lessow, executive director of United Way of Monroe County."These numbers reflect the reality that poverty is certainly an issue in our community," he said. "But as we look at the poverty numbers, we're also cognizant that they are impacted by the large number of IU...