Educate Yourself
You may think it strange that in Washington County(WC),home of large companies like Nike and Intel with average home values around $314,000, that there would be a need for a hot meal program like Faith Cafe to supply necessary food.
Consider these statistics:
* 36% students in WC are eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches.
* In 2005-2007, 12% of all children below the age of 18 were living in poverty.
* Washington County identified 18,000 children in 2008-9 school year as having unstable living situations.
While we are primarily concerned with hunger, poverty in Washington County is a key indicator and the cause of many of the hunger problems we face. Conditions of poverty exist when people are unable to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, heat, utilities, clothing, transportation, and health and childcare. They must choose which basic need to fill.
Housing costs in Washington County are among the highest in Oregon. Housing is considered unaffordable if it costs are greater than 1/3 of the household monthly income. A family needs an annual income of $30,280 to afford an average 2-bedroom rental unit in Washington County. In 2008, 34% of renters in WC spent 35% or more of their income on housing. This put them at risk for financial crisis. One ordinary, unexpected expense can be catastrophic.
The 2009 minimum wage in Oregon was $8.40/hr or $17,472 annually. According to 2008 Federal Poverty Guidelines, a family of three would be living below the poverty level if the family's only source of income is a full-time job paying minimum wage. A two-parent family with three young children would need $65,868 in annual income to pay for basic needs.
These are
astonishing statistics!
How Can You Help?
* Volunteer Interact with the poor one
on one, hear their stories.
* Donate To an organization that is changing lives.
* Advocate For long-term social change. Vote!