Poverty

October 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Following an announcement by the U.N. Food Agency of a record one billion people in the world who go hungry, U.S. Senator Bob Casey today took to the Senate floor to urge his Senate colleagues to take action on global food security and pass the Global Food Security Act.

“This is a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions that we can go a long way towards solving,” Senator Casey said. “This crisis is solvable with a combination of assistance and emphasis on providing small farmers around the world with the know-how, technology and means to provide for themselves.”    » read more »

Oct. 16, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter announced today the restoration of funding for the Aid to the Needy Disabled (AND) Program, which provides a monthly stipend of some $200 for food, housing and other essential services to about 6,500 of Colorado's most vulnerable residents.

To help close a $320 million budget shortfall in current FY09-10, the AND Program was slated to be suspended effective Jan. 1, 2010, for a $7.2 million savings.

"Over the past year, working together with the legislature, we've closed recession-caused budget shortfalls of nearly $2 billion," Gov. Ritter said. "We've taken great care and been guided by compassion in making surgical reductions to avoid pain where possible and preserve the safety net for those who depend on government services.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Late yesterday, the United States Senate unanimously approved a bill to award Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus a Congressional Gold Medal. The bill, introduced by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT), recognizes Dr. Yunus as a leading figure in the effort to fight poverty and promote economic and social opportunity.

Through his Grameen Bank, Dr. Yunus has pioneered the microcredit movement and helped hundreds of millions of people around the world break out of poverty.    » read more »

Highlights USDA's Summer Food Service Program That Helps Feed Hungry Kids During Summer Months

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2009 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today took part in the Obama Administration's 'United We Serve' initiative by serving breakfast to kids at Morgan Day Care in Silver Spring, Md. Merrigan was joined by Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Earl "Buddy" Hance, and together they shared nutrition tips with pre-school children at the day care center.

Morgan Day Care participates in USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program and runs the Summer Food Service Program at nearby Piney Branch Elementary School.    » read more »

Funding renews critical lifeline for hundreds of persons at risk for homelessness

May 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - Seven local programs that offer critically needed housing and support services to extremely low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS are being awarded $8 million in grants announced today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. These grants will help hundreds of persons and their families struggling to find a stable home as they receive the services they need to manage their illnesses.    » read more »

Vilsack Discusses Agriculture Assistance with Pakistan and Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2009-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced plans for $27.5 million in international assistance under USDA's Food for Progress Program for Pakistan and Afghanistan. Vilsack made the announcement at a meeting with Afghanistan's Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock H.E. Mohammad Asif Rahimi and Pakistan's Minister for Food, Agriculture, and Livestock Nazar Muhammad Gondal while meeting to identify potential areas of agricultural cooperation and collaboration among the three countries. The commodity donations will benefit an estimated 3 million people in rural areas of both countries.    » read more »

$1 Million Grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation Funds Education, Job-Training and Entrepreneurial Support Programs for Women and Girls

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 5, 2009 - The Wal-Mart Foundation today announced a $1 million grant to CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. Projects funded by this grant will focus on empowering impoverished young women around the world through education, job-training and entrepreneurial support programs.    » read more »

April 21, 2009 -- SEIU International Executive Vice-President Eliseo Medina released the following statement on today's report by the Southern Poverty Law Center examining the discrimination and abuse of Hispanic workers in the South:

"A basic moral test for our society is how we treat the most vulnerable in our midst. Today's report by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a remarkable indictment of the prejudice, racial profiling and outright abuse faced by hardworking Hispanics, some of our country's most vulnerable workers.    » read more »

Plan Will Help City Temporarily Relocate Homeless to Cal Expo

03/25/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson today to announce the state’s participation in a plan that will serve as a first step to addressing Sacramento’s homeless issue by helping the city temporarily relocate homeless people living in “Tent City” to Cal Expo.

“Together with the local government and volunteers, we are taking a first step to ensure the people living in Tent City have a safe place to stay, with fresh water, healthy conditions and access to the services they need,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “And I am committed to working with Mayor Johnson to find a permanent solution for those living in Tent City.”    » read more »

March 19, 2009 -- Superintendent Carol Comeau issued the following statement about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s intention to reject $160 million in stimulus funds for education. Included in the governor’s proposal is the refusal of $12.9 million for Title I programs and $12.9 million for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and special education programs for the Anchorage School District.

“We’re shocked and very disappointed that the governor said she would reject the education stimulus money for Title I and IDEA programs. We believe that we can make very good use of the funds, not only in job preservation but also in adding new positions to ultimately use these funds to increase student achievement for our neediest children.    » read more »

March 9, 2009 -- ST. LOUIS - Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is visiting community health centers across Missouri this week to announce a landmark agreement with the Missouri Hospital Association to provide quality health care to nearly 35,000 additional parents - at no increased cost to the state's taxpayers.    » read more »

August 26, 2008 -- Chicago, IL -- "Today's news confirms what America's struggling families already know - that over the past seven years our economy has moved backwards. We have now lived through first so-called economic 'expansion' on record where typical families saw their incomes fall, and working-age households lost more than $2,000 from their paychecks.

Another 816,000 Americans fell into poverty in 2007 - including nearly 500,000 children - bringing the total increase in Americans in poverty under President Bush to 5.7 million.    » read more »

June 17, 2008 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. — Researchers have long suspected that socioeconomic factors like education level and income also might affect survival rates following heart attack. In the June issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo Clinic researchers present new data suggesting that people with lower incomes and education levels are more likely to die after heart attack than more affluent, educated people.    » read more »

Economy heightens need to monitor mental health

June, 2008 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic research suggests unmarried women living in rural areas have lower self-rated health status than their married counterparts. This lower health status often includes greater instances of self-assessed feelings of depression. The results of the study were recently published in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. They suggest that primary care physicians should take a proactive role in addressing health concerns of single women.    » read more »

4-06-2008 -- Geneva (ICRC) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is significantly stepping up its humanitarian relief work in Somalia to respond to the deepening crisis there.

Hundreds of thousands of Somalis face life-threatening food and water shortages due to the escalating armed conflict and the effects of the recent severe drought in central Somalia.

Somalia, April 2008: Photo by Feinstein International Center (CC)

High inflation and the worldwide rise in commodity prices, especially for key imports such as food and fuel, are aggravating the situation.    » read more »