Press Room
Reaching Out to the Working Poor
More than 27% of God’s Pantry Food Bank client households have one or more adults holding down a full or part-time job and we saw the average annual household income for clients go from $9,500 in 2006 to $13,070 in 2010. While the increase is significant, it is still well below the poverty threshold of $18,310 for a family of three.
This statistic is illustrated by the many people we meet who are working but their paycheck is simply not enough to get by. Allison, a single mother working as a hairstylist at a national discount hair cutting chain, came to our pantry three months in a row after hours were cut due to slow business and she suddenly found herself reaching out for assistance for the first time in her life.
Mike has worked for many years as an auto mechanic at a large national retailer, changing tires and oil and managing to provide for his wife and daughter on a meager hourly wage. But this year’s unexpected addition of a grandchild and the associated medical costs brought him to a pantry for assistance this winter.
As these stories suggest, it can happen to almost anyone. And it happens to people you know.
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