| The
Bible speaks about poverty: Psalms 40:17
– 17 As for
me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my
deliverer; do not delay, O my God.
Poverty datebook for today:
Project Hope,
a program of the St. Paul Area Council of
Churches, deploys volunteers and sets up 13 beds in each of two churches every night
in March and year-round to host and provide overnight shelter for homeless families.
Volunteers provide hospitality, tutoring and games for children and refreshments for all.
Good works that 'work':
Whether gathering porcupine
quills for one of her artistic creations or modeling a homemade jingle dress near the
woods, Juanita Blackhawk has found peace using her talents through the Circle Loan
Fund of the White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) in Minnesota. WELRP
promotes economic development based on sustainable use of the land for edible products
(wild rice, berries, maple syrup) and for raw materials for use by native artisans. The Circle
Loan Fund, with support from the CWS TOOLS OF HOPE Program, provides tools,
supplies, and other forms of support to tribal artists. With a 65 percent unemployment
rate and 50 percent of the reservation's residents living below the poverty line, creating
viable livelihoods is critical to the community's future. |
Poverty
by the numbers: 
Second Harvest's 2001 survey of 32,000 food banks, soup kitchens and
homeless shelters found that 40 percent of the beneficiaries of their programs are
children under age 18. Of the adults, 62 percent are women, 55 percent are
minorities and 23 percent are single parents.
Preaching about poverty:
"Moving From I to We." The Rev. Andrew E. Fiddler, Trinity on the Green, New
Haven, Ct. |
