Montgomery's working poor line up for food

People in nearly 7 percent of Alabama households experienced hunger over the past three years because they couldn’t afford enough food, the highest percentage in the country, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The report shows that hunger is a growing problem. It affected wice as many households in the state during 2007-09 than the three previous years, a spike likely caused by the economic downturn and uptick in the poverty rate. The percentage of Alabama homes reporting hunger from 2004 to 2006 was 3.3 percent, the report states.

Alabama’s “very low food security” rate of 6.8 percent, meaning about 126,480 households were affected, exceeds the national average. Nationally, 5.2 percent, or 6.8 million households, reported very low food security in the past three years.

The category of very low food security means people in the house ate less and their normal eating patterns were disrupted because they lacked money for food, according to the USDA. It most often means there is concern that the food in the house will not last until the next paycheck and they cannot afford to eat balanced meals. It also can mean meals are skipped and children don’t get healthy meals.

Some U.S.-born children with parents who are illegal immigrants have been denied food stamps under Alabama’s new immigration law, Southern Poverty Law Center President Richard Cohen told Yahoo News on Monday.

Five people have called into the group’s Alabama hotline to say they were denied food stamps because they couldn’t prove they were legal residents, even though the food stamps are for their children, who are citizens.

Illegal immigrants are prohibited from accessing most welfare benefits, including food stamps, non-emergency Medicaid and cash welfare programs. Their children, if born in America, can access welfare programs as citizens. (The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that about 4.5 million American citizens under 18 years old have at least one undocumented parent.)

A low-income family of five made up of two undocumented parents and three citizen children now has to show that its income is close to the poverty level for a family of three–not a family of five–in order to access food stamps. This is intended to prevent illegal immigrants from benefiting from food stamps, but immigration advocates say it will leave citizen kids hungry. The Justice Department has sued Arizona, Alabama, South Carolina and Utah over laws that crack down on illegal immigrants.

The Montgomery Rescue Mission is committed to serving the working poor, the homeless, ex-offenders, and children of ILLEGAL IMMAGRANTS.  Suffer the little children to come unto me and WE will give them SOMETHING TO EAT.

*al.com and Yahoo.com

"Waiting on Momma" The Montgomery Rescue Mission Food Giveaway

Every Friday, the Montgomery Rescue Mission serves over 250 people in need of food. We have seen an increase of senior citizens, families and disabled veterans attending our weekley food giveaways.

 More than one in four Alabama children live in poverty — a figure that has jumped since the recession began in 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday. In 2010, 27.4 percent of children age 18 and under in Alabama lived in poverty. The percentage was 23.6 percent in 2007.

Surban counties had the highest median households incomes and lowest rates of child poverty, in the new Census report. Alabama’s Black Belt counties were largely nestled at the bottom of the rankings.

Shelby County had the lowest child poverty rate in 2010, at 13.2 percent; followed by Autauga County, at 17.5 percent; and Madison County, at 18 percent.

Dallas County had the highest child poverty rate, at 56.5 percent. Perry County was next, at 54.3 percent. The counties had the third- and second-highest rates, respectively, for poverty among all ages. Shelby County had the highest median household income in the state, at $67,135. Madison County was next, at $54,633; and third was Autauga County, at $53,049. Wilcox County had the lowest median household income, at $21,611. Next to last was Perry County, at $24,742. Nationally, the poverty rate for school-aged children increased significantly in 20 percent of U.S. counties between 2007 and 2010.  Nearly one in five, or 19.8 percent, of school children were living in poverty in 2010, the Census report said.

Alabama is ranked 9th among the 10 Poorest States In The Union Alabama
Median income: $42,218
Poverty rate: 16.1 percent (tied for 9th highest)
Without health insurance: 14.4 percent (21st highest)
Unemployment rate: 10.0 percent (10th highest)

Alabama has one of the worst poverty rates in the country. Combined with an unemployment rate of 10 percent and a median income of just $42,000, state residents are not in very good shape. State Governor Robert Bentley, acknowledging the dire circumstances state residents face, has begun a “road to economic recovery” campaign aimed at creating jobs in order to pull the state out of depression. In an interview in the Andalusia Star News, Bentley says he hoped to create 10,000 new jobs by the end of the year, but that it would be challenging.

Just because Mark 14:7 tell us, “the poor you will always have with you,…”that does not mean we should not work to abolish poverty or ease hunger’s pain.

*Ten Poorest States in the Union- Theblaze.com