A Leap of Faith

I live downtown and encounter people asking for money on a regular basis. (These people may or may not be homeless or in need.) So when a man approached in my apartment parking with a “sob story,” I was quick to write him off as just another fraud.

I’m glad I didn’t. Sometimes a man in need is truly a man in need.

The man, named Tracy, was in need of gas money to drive down to Indianapolis to be with his daughter who was in critical condition at Riley Hospital for Children. He told me he had tried to get help from some churches downtown, but they were closed since it was in the evening. His last resort was to ask someone for money. That someone happened to be myself.

Despite hearing his sad story, I was reluctant at first. After all, I was going on vacation and strapped for cash myself. Yet something inside told me to help him. I caved and gave him all I had in my wallet. (a measly $7) Despite my donation, he told me he still didn’t have enough money to fill his gas tank. I hesitated and then took a leap of faith. I told him to wait there while I went upstairs to my apartment to get more money.

I returned and he was waiting patiently. I handed him the cash. He expressed gratitude for my generosity and told me how I was a blessing. He reassured me he would settle up with me when he was paid in a few days. I was going out of town, so I told him there was no hurry. Still, he was insistent on repaying his debt and asked for my phone number so he could get in touch.

While on vacation I pondered the incident and wondered if the man was genuine. I had told myself that, if nothing else, I had done a good deed. I didn’t expect to see the money again.

To my surprise, I had a voicemail from Tracy waiting for me when I returned. He said he wanted to meet up to repay the money. I returned his call and told him his honesty was refreshing, but not to worry about repaying me. I asked that he donate the money to a charity.

Moral of the story? Sometimes you have to go out on a limb to help people. Sure, there might be people out there trying to cheat the system, but for every one of those, there are probably four who are truly in need.

Schools Face the Facts of Poverty

A good indicator of poverty is the percentage of students who come from families who are at or below the Poverty Line.
Children who attend these schools face so many disadvantages over their more affluent peers. If you thought things were bad before the financial crisis, they just got a lot worse.

According to the newest report from the U.S. Department of Education, 16,122 schools in the U.S. are considered to be "high poverty" schools. ”High Poverty Schools” are defined in part as children who are coming to school hungry each day.

In public schools, if more than three-quarters of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, they are labeled as such. Between the 1999-2000 and 2007-2008 school years, the percentage of high poverty schools rose from 12 to 17 percent. The alarming part is these figures don’t take the recession into account. Think about the stark reality of these statistics.

The report also indicates that the overall poverty level of children rose, leading researchers to believe that more children are signing up for free meal programs.

Let’s face it−children who attend high poverty schools face incredible difficulties beyond the mere fact they are poor. Put simply, they are not treated the same as their middle or upper class peers.
How so? For one, they are far less likely to be taught by teachers with advanced degrees. Most well-educated teachers flock to affluent districts where they don’t have to worry about the issues surrounding poverty.

Also, studies indicate that low-income students are less likely to graduate from high school. For example, an average of 68 percent of 12th grade students in high poverty schools graduated in 2007-2008, compared with a shocking 91 percent at low poverty schools. Even worse, high poverty school graduates enrolled in a four-year college or university 28 percent of the time, whereas 52 percent of graduates from low poverty schools did the same.

Like it or not, something has to be done. Children are our future. Programs like Head Start help preschool aged children and their families, but what happens when they graduate from the program? Who is advocating for them when they enter the school system?

We all need to advocate for quality education for all students. No child should be educated differently based on his or her income level. After all, obtaining an education is part of breaking the cycle of poverty. It may not be the ultimate solution, but it is a good place to start.

The Ugly Truth about Poverty and Obesity

Obesity is a problem that is plaguing our country, but did you know that the poor are the most vulnerable to this health risk?

You might think poor people would be thin, given that they are scraping by on what little sustenance they can afford.

The truth it’s not how much (or little) they are eating, but what they are eating. Some critics point to the mass availability of highly processed packaged foods and cheap meat made possible by government subsidy programs.

When hunger strikes and money is tight, many families tend to purchase the foods that offer the greatest caloric content for the price. More “bang for your buck,” so to speak. Unfortunately, these products usually aren't fruits and vegetables.

The fact that there is a correlation between poverty and obesity is not new news. It has been documented in numerous studies, and can be observed first-hand in many low-income communities across the country. So, the question is really this: how do we fix it?

Here are a few actions commonly proposed by policymakers:

• Stop the grain crop subsidy program that makes unhealthy processed food and cheap meat the most widely-available products in low-income communities.
• Call for an investment in school nutrition program to educate children about the importance of healthy eating.
• Begin to restrict the food WIC, SNAP and other recipients of federal food aid are allowed to purchase with their government benefits.

What do you think? Of course these suggestions would not totally eliminate the poverty/obesity link, but they could help to make healthy food more widely available, and consumed, in low-income communities.