Poverty can be ended; here's what you can do

Idea exchange
January 2004

Poverty can be ended; here's what you can do
It doesn't have to be a big thing. Every bit helps. Even small actions remind us that many of our neighbors are living very close to the edge. Here are some ideas to get started. You'll notice that they reflect the "Two Feet of Social Action," which are Works of Charity (helping people address present needs) and Works of Justice (removing the causes of social problems).

As a Family:

Every time you shop for groceries, buy an extra pound of pasta and a jar of sauce. Keep them in the front seat of the car to remind you to drop them at the local food pantry. (When they bump against your seat belt, say a prayer for the people who will eat them.)
Too much! Before the children receive more toys and books, such as at Christmas and birthday time, help them go through what they have and select gently used items that they can donate to younger kids. Take the children with you when you go to your local shelter to deliver them.
When the children complain about having chicken for dinner again, ask them how they think it gets from the egg to their plates and why it costs so little. Check out the Delmarva Poultry Justice Alliance, a group that represents chicken farmers, at www.dpja.org or www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/success1.htm
Watch your town council meeting on local access television (or view the national scene on C-span.) Talk about who or what influenced the lawmakers to speak the way they did. Write a letter to one of them, expressing your view on an issue they discussed.

As a Parish:

Maintain a food pantry and casserole freezer for people who run short at the end of the month. Allow the participants to make their own selections from the donated supplies.
Join other parishes and congregations in your community to prepare and serve a hot Saturday meal for the needy. Help organize the same people to offer overnight hospitality to the homeless.
Harness the language skills of your parishioners to help local immigrants translate paperwork that would help them apply for legitimate benefits and register to vote. Advertise this once-a-month service at local bodegas and laundromats.
Think about what happens after a sensational crime leaves your local front page. Visit www.mvfr.org to see how one group of victims' families got beyond thoughts of revenge and now works toward the abolition of the death penalty.
Ask parishioners to commit to paying a "living wage" to people working for them in traditionally low-paying jobs, such as babysitter, lawn mower, cleaner. Click here to read about one group's determination to secure a living wage.

As a Youth Group:

Use money raised at a car wash to buy gloves and socks and sandwich materials. One day before school, bring lunches, socks and gloves to a local day-worker hiring site. Invite the worker-site coordinator to visit your group and describe the daily challenges faced by the job-seekers.
Organize a lock-in where the theme is poverty awareness. Invite 10% of the students to sleep overnight in cardboard boxes on the playground or in the gym. Try www.usccb.org/cchd/mmlessons.htm.
Exercise your creativity! Participate in the CCHD's Multi-Media Youth Arts Contest. Each year, youth groups and individuals come up with fresh approaches to educating about poverty. Click here for information about the contest, including previous winning entries.
Invite representatives from each school and religious youth organization in your community to a basketball game and pot luck supper at your parish. Spend some time talking about what you have in common and how you might share your talents with one another's group.
Compare your school's dropout rate with a poorer school district. Talk about why kids drop out and what happens to them. Check out www.hopeworks.org to see how one group addressed a 70 percent dropout rate by offering training in marketable skills.

For more information:
Poverty USA
Poverty Pulse: a survey on American poverty

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