Poverty in the United States: It Does Exist

Often times, when we think of poverty, we picture starving children in Africa, the slums of Brazil, or the Untouchables of India.  Rarely do we picture the the poor living (as well as starving and dying) in our own country, our own cities.  But poverty is the reality of MILLIONS within one of the wealthiest countries in the world.  Although the United States is ranked #10 in world (based on the gross domestic product per capita-PPP), there exists extreme poverty in our country.

• 35.9 million live below the poverty line; 12.9 million of those are children.
• The poverty threshhold for a family of four is $16, 600 annual income.
• The poverty rate varies from 8.7% (suburbs) to 18.5% (inside central cities). 
• The poverty rate is double or quadruple for minority groups; 12.5-26.1%. 
• Although there is an abundance of food in the USA, 100 BILLION pounds of food are wasted annually. 15% of this food is still within the expiration date but never opened.
• 20% of all American food goes wasted, averaging 130 pounds per person ending up in the landfills.
• 3.5% of all American households experience hunger, often times with the people of these households skipping meals or eating too little.  This is 9.6 million people, 3 million being children.

--statistics from http://www.soundvision.com/Info/poor/statistics.asp

It is unimaginable that the poverty levels are this high in a nation so wealthy and abundant in resources and infrastructure.  Let's ask ourselves what are simple steps that we can take to make a difference.  Perhaps, while at the grocery store we should purchase what is only needed for that week to prevent further waste of perfectly good food.  Also, at the store, we could add just a few cans of healthy food to our baskets to donate to the local food bank. 

To become actively involved in your community's fight against poverty and hunger, here are a few links to get you started:

http://www.1-800-volunteer.org/1800Vol/OpenIndexAction.do
http://feedingamerica.org/
http://www.serve.gov/

--The Power of One

The Power of Your One Can Fight Global Poverty

The staggering reality of global poverty:

• 25,000 children under the age of 5 die each day due to poverty-related causes.
  
• Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Nearly 900 million people do not have access to clean water.
  
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
  
• Seventy percent of those living on less than $1 per day are women.
  
• Each year, more than 8 million people around the world die because they are too poor to stay alive.
  
• One third of deaths...are due to poverty-related causes

http://www.onedayswages.org/about/our-vision, http://www.urbanministry.org/global-poverty-statistics

However, with the power of only one person, YOU can make a difference. Did you know, through a donation to One Day’s Wages, a ONE-time gift of $100 can provide either 5 people clean water for 20 years, buy 10 people a mosquito bed net to protect against malaria, enroll 2 children in school for a year, or provide a woman a sewing machine and job training?


Perhaps with this ever changing and volatile economy, you and your family simply cannot afford even $10, let alone the $100. That’s okay, too. There is still the power of only one through actions.


Use the Power of Only One to:

• Become ONE follower of this blog and pass along its message to at least ONE person.
  
  
• Write ONE letter to your U.S. Senator or House Representative expressing your desire for global change and an end to world poverty.
  
  
• Donate ONE hour of ONE day at a local shelter.
  
  
• Donate ONE dollar at the check-out at the grocery store for the local food bank. 

Always remember, "A waterfall starts but with one drop, and look what becomes of that."

--The Power of One

One Day's Wages Fights Global Poverty & So Can You

I am only one person! 
What can I do to help end world-wide poverty? 
I am a single mom and have very little money to spare. 
I am a busy father of three children; between work and all the kids' activities there is so little time to give to any organization.

Does this sound like you?  I get it.  I'm a single mom with a full time job and two children who are active in martial arts.  It seems there is never enough time or money for all that we need to accomplish in our own lives.  But, I bet you are like me and feel the need to contribute to postive change in this world.  This is the world we are leaving to our children.  Our actions today will be the inheritance of the generations that come after us.  I want to make it a better place for not just my children and their future offspring, but all the children in the world.

Thanks to Monica at A Pair of Panties and Boxers I have found a very simple way to help, a way that will have a dramatic and positive impact on the fight against global poverty.  One Day's Wages is a movement inspired by the convictions of Eugene and Minhee Cho to make positive change in the world after seeing the reality of extreme poverty in the eyes of the people during their travels.  "One Day's Wages (ODW) is an international grassroots movement dedicated to ending extreme global poverty."

Please watch the following video to better understand this great opportunity to be a part of world-wide change, a change that will help those who need it most, leaving a better inheritance for your children.



Today I encourage you to visit One Day's Wages, learn about the movement, and become empowered to make positive, world-wide changes in the fight against poverty with the power of only one day's wages.

--The Power of Only One