I did a little more digging on statistics on poverty in America, and will detail my findings here. For those who wish to do so, you can take a short quiz on poverty in America at: http://www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/povertyusa/povquiz.htm
The statistics in the two following categories are taken from: http://www.heartsandminds.org/articles/childpov.htm
Poverty's Effect on Children
Unfortunately, not all America's poor have been so fortunate. According to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau in September 1996, 13.8% of Americans live in poverty. Many more are on the borderline. Poverty affects all ages, but an astonishing 48% percent of its victims are children:
About 15 million children -- one out of every four -- live below the official poverty line.
22% of Americans under the age of 18 -- and 25% under age 12 -- are hungry or at the risk of being hungry.
Everyday 2,660 children are born into poverty; 27 die because of it.
Children and families are the fastest growing group in the homeless population, representing 40%.
Poverty in New York City
Domestic poverty knows no geographical barriers, but it is especially widespread here in New York City. The latest study released in 1995 by the Citizens Committee for Children of New York reveals that New York children fare worse in virtually every category than their counterparts at the state and national level. This includes low birth weight, infant mortality, violence-related deaths, abuse and neglect, education, and job preparedness.
Life for New York City children is getting worse:
25% of New Yorkers are children.
762,000 children live in poverty.
181 babies are born into poverty each day.
10,000 children are homeless. This number has doubled since 1988.
In addition to these sad statistics, many New York City children read and do math below grade level. An estimated 38.9% of the city's school children will graduate high school, compared to 68.8% for all American students
There's a tendency for many Americans to turn a blind eye to poverty, as long as it does not affect them directly. What they fail to understand is the costs they pay for incarceration of an underclass that is a breeding ground for crime, often through desperation, and hospitalization and medical costs incurred for emergency room visits from families whose children are sick because of the squalor in which they live, or who use the emergency room as their primary medical provider because none other will take them. These are unnecessary costs, and it is upon us to make changes to make them unneccessary.
I am not saying these changes should come from the federal government. The federal government can fail us, and has, woefully and miserably at times. This is because individual compassion is not something that easily trickles up to the upper echelons of government. The important thing to remember is that the ability and responsibility for solving poverty lies in our hands, and it is up to take the reins and steer America back to the proper track in this area. To do this, it is essential that we cease using our faith as a barrier to cooperation, and instead look to the commonality of our faiths as an impetus for such.
Canningpoverty.org was formed for just such a purpose. Our goal is to show people how they can make a difference by collecting aluminum cans in their community and donating the proceeds to our organization. These proceeds will be used to fill in the gaps where other organizations have failed, and to work to provide meaningful solutions to the problems of poverty in America, not short term placebos. If you wish to learn more about canningpoverty.org, please visit our website at www.canningpoverty.org, or email us at canningpoverty@yahoo.com to be included on our email list. We are in the organizational stages at this point, but will give you information on how you can help make a difference in your community and accross the country.
Respectfully submitted,
Gideon MacLeish.