304/477 18 Dec 89 00:05:06
From:   Claudia Slate
To:     All
Subj:   HUNGER
Attr:   
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HUNGER - Everyone's Issue
  
 THE WORKING POOR:
   
"* A full time, year round job at minimum wage pays $6,968 a year.

 * The federal povery level for a fiamily of four is $12,091;  for a family of 
three, $9431;  for a family of two, $7,703;  for a single person, $6,017.

* 70% of minimum wage workers are adults.

* 44% of the jobs created between 1979 and 1985 paid less the $7,400 a year.

* More that 5.5 million Americans live in poor households in which someone
works full time year round.

* 20 million poor people (60% of the U.S. poor) live in households in which 
someone works at least part-time.

* From 1978 to 1987, the number of full time workers in poverty rose by 42%.  
The working poor are the fastest-growing segment of the poor.

* In 1986, the wealtiest 1/5 of American families received 43% of national 
family income; the poorest received 4.6%."
  
CHILDREN:
   
"* 20% of American Children, (1 in 5), live in poverty.

* 40% of the nation's poor are children.

* The U.S. ranks 19th among developed nations in preventing infant mortality, 
down from 16th in 1980.   The infant mortality rate is closely linked to the 
quantity and quality of the mother's diet during pregnancy and is an 
internationally used measurement of malnutrition.

* 37 million Americans - including 11 million children - have no health 
insurance.

* Medicaid covers only 43% of poor families.

* One fourth of American women receive no early prenatal care.

* 2 industrialized nations do not provide universal health insurance for their 
citizens - the United States and South Africa."
   
WOMEN:
  
"* 34% of female-head of households are poor.

* On the average, women earn 64% of men's salaries.

* Wives who work full-time earn 57% of their husbands' salaries.

* A 1986 study by Stanford sociologist found that, on the average, in the year 
following a divorce a man's standard of living rises 42%; a woman's falls 73%.

* About 1 in 2 U.S. marriages end in divorce.

* Child care costs low income working mothers 22% of their income. "
    
". . . the continued existence of widespread hunger in the United States is 
optional;  . . . it can be eliminated only by changing public policy and budget 
priorities;  and. . .  those changes will occur when the American people firmly 
announce that they want them.

...Millions of us are one lost job, one divorce or one catastrophic illnes away 
from poverty.  Hunger could become, quite literally, our problem."
  
   
The above information is reprinted here without permission from an article in 
the Nov./Dec. edition of _The Mother Earth News_ which deals with the efforts 
of 3 organizations, begun by individuals, to relieve hunger in their local 
areas.  For ideas on ways to fight hunger you might start with this article or 
"The Hunger Action Handbook: What You Can Do and How to Do It," edited by 
Leslie Withers and Tom Peterson; available for $9.15 postpaid from Seeds, 222 
East Lake Drive, Decatur, GA 30030.
--- TBBS v2.0
 * Origin: *Chrysalis*  Multi-User  (214) 519-0728  Dallas, Tx  (124/4214)