Thread: The Poor????

Study finds hunger extends beyond the homeless
Valley food banks serve the working poor, children, seniors.

By Cyndee Fontana / The Fresno Bee

(Updated Friday, February 24, 2006, 5:39 AM)

Hunger in Fresno, Madera and Kings counties reaches well beyond the homeless and far into the ranks of the working poor, children and senior citizens, according to a study released Thursday.

The study uses information collected for a national report, "Hunger in America 2006," in profiling clients of Fresno's Community Food Bank. The bank sends food to 163 agencies mainly within the three counties; those food pantries, shelters and soup kitchens supply food directly to about 46,700 people each week.

"The problem is growing among a different group of people," said Sarah Reyes, chief executive officer for the food bank.

Among the report's findings:

85% of those served are "food insecure," which means they aren't sure where they will get their next meal.

About two in five people in households served by the food bank are under 18.

Close to half the households include at least one working adult.

More than two-thirds had incomes that fell below the federal poverty level the prior month.

Nearly half the network's clients say they must choose between buying food and paying for utilities or heating fuel. One in four had to choose between food and medicine or medical care.

The report contains several recommendations. Among those are expanding the food bank's mobile pantry program to reach more people in rural areas, broadening partnerships to identify more outlets for food distribution and finding ways to offer more produce.

Pastor John Crumble, president of Liberty Outreach Ministries Inc. in central Fresno, said he sees a great demand in the community.

"We're taking calls every day from people who need food," he said.

About 170,000 people are served annually by agencies in the food bank network; about 4% of those are homeless. Reyes said the number of clients has been fairly constant, but past reports prepared by other agencies suggest that the homeless comprised a greater share.

Other agencies may be shouldering more of that load, which means more and different kinds of people are relying on the food bank network.

"While we still see the need growing, we see it in the working poor," Reyes said.

Data in the report were obtained through interviews with 324 clients and food bank agency surveys.

The local study is part of a larger report conducted on behalf of America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest organization of emergency food providers.
The reporter can be reached at cfontana@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6312.

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The so-called poor are not making decisions between heating and eating. It hasn't been cold here in Fresno for quite a while. They are deciding how much to send to Mexico, how much drugs and alcohol to buy, which restaurant are they eating at, what cable TV package should we get, do we get the standard or super fast broadband internet, and where can we go on vacation. Then they head on down to their local food pantry and social progams office. It's funny how the liberal government is making such irresponsible people out of the so-called poor, and making us pay for it.

In my hometown, in El Cajon, CA, in SD County, we have at least 6 WIC/AFDC Food Stamp/EBT voucher stores (actually the fastest growing type business in town), mostly used by illegals, mostly from Mexico, being as whenever I drive by, I see MEXICO LICENSE PLATES on their nice, new, trucks, mini vans and SUVs.

If they can't afford to make enough money to feed themselves, why do these poor illegals always seem to be able to have 18 kids? Oh yeah that's right, WE taxpayers pay for all their pre/post natal and delivery costs! And since these now American citizen ANCHOR BABIES are born, they of course, need to get food stamps, for them and their entire family of 20 or 30 illegals living in their one bedroom Section 8 subsidized apartment.

The other day, at the local grocery store, I'm standing in the checkout line, and ahead of me is a Spanish speaking woman with 8 kids all under the age of 7, none speaking a word of English of course. But when she gets to the register, she miraculously knows one term in English - EBT, Electronic Benefit Transfer - meaning welfare. So when I get my stuff, and go out to the parking lot, what do I see? Them packing their $350 worth of groceries, baby formula and diapers into a brand spanking new giant SUV, with... you guessed it... MEXICO LICENSE PLATES!

Anyone that believes that the economy is great is blind!

How can it be with companies outsourcing and nearsourcing jobs at a record rate?

We are being lied to! The government can make statistics look like anything they want. The facts are in talking to the people that have lost their jobs to outsourcing or illegals! THAT is what we do not hear!

I fully expect to see the proverbial other shoe fall. It is only common sense.

Jeeze guys! I am a newbie to the political thing. A year and half ago, I had no clue what was going on. HOWEVER, like a lot of us, I started out with illegal immigration because I wanted to know where all of these non-english speaking people were coming from. I have branched out from there to realize just what has and is happening to our country. This has been well thought out and the globalist agenda has been ongoing for a long time. It has been well hidden from us. Time to wake up!

Don't you just love all the names they give to food stamps. One I saw was food coupons. This lady in line at SaveMart was buying a bottle of soda, a laundry basket, and a stick of butter with her food coupon.

Originally Posted by reptile09

The other day, at the local grocery store, I'm standing in the checkout line, and ahead of me is a Spanish speaking woman with 8 kids all under the age of 7, none speaking a word of English of course. But when she gets to the register, she miraculously knows one term in English - EBT, Electronic Benefit Transfer - meaning welfare. So when I get my stuff, and go out to the parking lot, what do I see? Them packing their $350 worth of groceries, baby formula and diapers into a brand spanking new giant SUV, with... you guesssed it... MEXICO LICENSE PLATES!

You know this very same thing happened to me and my husband at Walmart. Here we are struggling to support our three children, budgeting every thing to the last dime.
We even had to put some meat back because I mis-counted. Thank God we realised this before it was time to pay. In front of us is a women that speaks no ENGLISH! using the Lonestar card!

Two carts full of groceries is what they had. All of their children in Jordans and wearing gold earings, braceletes, and Nameplates How does this happen? We are struggling just to eat and others that are here because they break the law come here and get everything for free!

I have lost three jobs do to ILLEGALS! My husband Is now working through the local Labor Hall. When they started the Lay offs at both our jobs, the americans were the first to go. What a sad Country we live in today.
GOD HELP US ALL

Oh yea! They all piled in to a brand new truck!

This is to be expected from the sewage seeping across our southern border. It just doesn't make sense how our elected officials can't see this abuse.

It's only getting worse, here in Houston. (Pasadena)
There is no one here that I can even relate to, except for my husband.
Each time we enter a store or just go out ot eat or something we often comment: Where have all the Americans gone to?
I often feel alone, or like I'm in Mexico We downloaded the Alipac flyer, that was a waste of time. I got ran out of every place I enetered.
Looks like I'm going to have to post them on my door.



Looks like sweetsally is all alone here in Texas

i dont live in the area you do- but the alipac flyer isnt something you should hand to the clerks
you can insert them into the newspapers- -for one thing- or mail them but I imagine you dont want to spend any more money-
I glue them to poles and bus stops - yeah they get ripped down - but not as quick as you might think-
as to the poverty thing- well- I have this to say- if all the 20 million illegals were kicked out of this country- rents would be affordable.
and another thing- yes - we are being oppressed by the corporations-
who have gutted the american work force
it is appropriate to be very cynical
and as to the cable package cell phone thing\]
yes how come everyone has luxuries like that when they are close to the edge?
I know all the latinos have cable so they can watch spanish television all day.

So when I get my stuff, and go out to the parking lot, what do I see? Them packing their $350 worth of groceries, baby formula and diapers into a brand spanking new giant SUV, with... you guesssed it... MEXICO LICENSE PLATES!


You know this very same thing happened to me and my husband at Walmart. Here we are struggling to support our three children, budgeting every thing to the last dime.

Same thing happens here every day. It makes me sick.

And then there are the elderly. I have relatives who have to figure out what they are going to give up this month--medicine? food? toiletries? cleaning supplies? while people who I don't see as being entitled to things I am paying for keep getting everything they can possibly need at US taxpayer expense.

And that brings to mind recent news stories about people from Mexico who handed their kids over to coyotes and sent them to the USA! The "poor" kids are dressed in designer jeans and nice looking coats while they cry as they call their mother (who apparently has a phone inside her cardboard box) to tell her they got caught! This is disgusting!

I can not bear to hear about Americans losing their jobs to illegals. It breaks my heart and boils my blood.

GET THESE PEOPLE OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!

This is America. We have laws. These laws represent our WILL. We are a government of the people, by the people, for the people ... and people means American Citizens.

IMPEACH THE TRAITORS WHO HAVE CREATED THIS DISASTER!!

Get on with it. It is the only solution. We will be a starving weak helpless nation by 2008, people. We do not have the time to wait until a new election. I know many want to, I know many want to avoid the "controversey". People are starving; people are suffering; people are being murdered; people are losing every single day what little they had worked a life time if not multiple generations to accumulate. It isn't fair. We are Americans and we stand up for each other and we stand with our fellow citizens because but for the grace of God, there go I.

It is our way. We are acting like a bunch of pansy ass frightened little meek subjects. It is humiliating.

America, wake up. Remember who you are and what you were born to do. You are Americans, THE AMERICANS. You are from the blood line of the brave, stand-up, no-nonsense, fiesty Americans that created the greatest country ever to exist and saved Europe and China and Russia from the Japanese and Nazis.

Yet, we are afraid to call our Congressman or Congresswoman and say, Sir or Mam, please support HR 635 IH to commence impeachment investigations of the WackiArabadent and please add that fool drunk Cheney to it so we can get these Traitors out of our government and get our country back on track.

Are we so timid that we can not do that simple thing to save ourselves and our nation?

Are we so skeered someone might be mad at US that we can make those simple phone calls and direct our Congress as is our duty to execute our will?

Look at the statistics of poverty, income, population growth, housing costs, energy costs, insurance costs, medical costs, tax cost....excessive credit, no savings...borders wide open for any thief or terrorist or army to waltz right in...our ports under Communist or Terrorist Dictatorship Control....our President and Vice President and Cabinet all with those noses stuck up the butt of some foreign government...our troops stuck in Iraq with Civil War breaking out where many will be caught in the cross-fire of internal disputes simply because war is profitable for the Traitors and they don't care how many troops die or end up maimed...if they did they would have brought them home soon after the January elections over a year ago....we are all in serious jeopardy....millions in more dire straights than others...but all our times are coming and all our little air cushions we may be on now are just a prick away....no pun intended....and then we will have nothing and at that point we will be powerless to change the course.

We have to act now...to stop this madness, this total nonsense.

We are the victims of Treason.