Posted on 02/15/2008 12:39:54 PM PST by IssuesOriented
Hunger pains Wapello County leads the state in food assistance
By MARK NEWMAN Courier staff writer
OTTUMWA Numbers rarely tell the whole story. But when it comes to the well-being of children, decision makers need something to go on.
The Child and Family Policy Center, a not-for-profit agency based in Des Moines, recently issued its Iowa Kids Count report information collected from every county in Iowa to show the trends affecting children, from infant deaths to high school graduation rates .
Currently, one in seven children in Iowa lives in poverty and one in three is eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, said Mike Crawford, the reports author. The economic conditions for many families have stagnated or worsened over the past six years.
The study compares statistics from 2000 to 2006. Some things have improved for kids, he said, like the death rate among children ages 1-14 and the number of youngsters being immunized.
What hasnt improved is the financial situation for families around the state.
While the report shows 19 indicators of child well-being figures, one of the biggest statistical changes in Wapello County is for food assistance or food stamps.
In 2000, there were 3,139 Wapello County residents receiving assistance. For 2006, that number swelled to 5,122. Then, as now, there were about 36,000 people living in the county, meaning 14 percent of residents are now on food assistance, the highest rate in Iowa.
That doesnt surprise me, said Wapello County Supervisor Steve Siegel. Its certainly a problem that we want to alleviate in any way we can.
He said since he has resided in Wapello County, the high level of poverty in the county has been an issue. And though there has been an increase of 63 percent receiving money for food, he asked what the increase for the state has been in the same period. According to the report, that figure is actually 81 percent.
I think weve worked hard .... to help alleviate some of the poverty in Wapello County, but theres certainly a long way to go, Siegel said. We have our senior commodity food program to help 250 low-income seniors. I just did my deliveries today. We donate to the Southern Iowa Food Bank. And we have our general assistance program.
He believes some of the problems in Wapello County mirror the problems he believes plague the country.
Theres a growing inequality between rich and poor. Tax breaks aimed at the rich; increases in energy costs; I also believe food costs have gone up above the rate of inflation, said Siegel. So when people are financially marginal to begin with, these costs they cant avoid can mean they dont have money for food.
And sometimes, food stamps arent enough to prevent that. Low-income or otherwise strapped residents may end up at social service agencies like the Ottumwa Community Outreach Mission which serves lunch and dinner for a freewill donation and the Southeast Iowa Economic Development Agency.
In her job as community action programs specialist at SIEDA, Ramona Vaux sees a lot of hungry people.
Its heartbreaking, she said. A lot of them might have food stamps, but they might run out.
This is absolutely absurd. What the heck is poverty these days? Wasn’t it RR who said that when we start paying people to be poor, we’ll be getting more poor people. We have it and there will be more.
So when this story talks about poverty what are they really talking about?
Thinking the same thing. Elect Obama/Hillary and all this will go away (no, not poverty--the stories about poverty).
Iowa is a DEMOCRAT State!!! LOL!!! I’ll bet UTAH isn’t like IOWA! IDIOTS!
“As Laura Ingraham says, ‘America has the worlds fattest poor people.’
I noticed that many years ago.
I’ll never forget one scene on TV years ago a woman and her husband complaining about poverty. She was in a wheelchair fatter than the chair could hold her width.
That will happen when farm land is dedicated to producing crops for fuel instead of to feed people.
3. Do I need to be a U.S. citizen to receive food stamps?
Certain non-citizens, such as those admitted for humanitarian reasons, those admitted for permanent residence, many children, elderly immigrants and individuals who have been working in the United States for certain periods of time, are eligible for the Food Stamp Program. Eligible household members can get food stamps even if there are other members of the household who are not eligible.
In other words just about anyone who fills out the forms.
New ways to spend money!
I was born to a single mom
I was raised poor in single mom’s household
I lived in a poor single mom’s house
I did not like poverty.
I will not have kids until I am married.
When I am married I will stay married.
How many of those “1 in 7” children are being reared by a single mom? How many are illegitimate?
The best view of poverty is in the rear view mirror, ....oops, I meant Lubbock...
Every time I go back to visit my family in NW Iowa, I see more and more Mexicans. I know for a fact, at least half of them are not legal. Pisses me off.
They don't have a clue. It ain't what it looks like on TV because you can't smell it on TV. The only comparable smell I know is that of a Wal-Mart.
This nonsense is, interestingly, being put forth across the nation at this very time. A story to this affect appeared about a month ago in our local paper.
Defintely a planned move by Democrats -
The extent of, say, food assistance today is incredible.
For children, it starts the moment they arrive at school and sit down to (subsidized) breakfast. Then there is (subsidized) lunch...
Some are truly feeling a pinch - particularly through fuel/energy costs. WE do have to adapt - as our ancestors did to survive.
Some may be classified as “in poverty” even though they own extensive property and are really quite well-off.
Democrats get life juices off Entitlement Mentality - and unceasing class envy.
Don’t forget, if it’s like our city, the kids are sent home with a backpack full of food for the weekend! The “parent(s)” will be too busy cooking meth to cook any food!
Poverty has over a 75% correlation with single parenthood. Plus single parent households are environmentally wasteful:)
What an abuse of statistics.
Of course one in seven children live in poverty. That makes sense if you say that anyone living at a certain income below the median is impoverished. When you have a median income, by definition, some of the children will live above it and some will live below it.
Interestingly, the article never mentions that amount of income which determines poverty.
Since the determination of free lunches is twice the poverty level income, about twice as many kids are on free lunches. That makes sense, too.
I would guess that a child hasn’t died from starvation due solely to lack of food in the state of Iowa in many years. There are probably next to no cases of rickets, scurvy, or kwashiorkor. I would bet that there are no significant numbers of children whose growth is stunted from lack of food.
Sadly, I can think through the propoganda. I teach it to the students in my classroom. Sadly, this reporter is apparently too stupid to see through the obvious flaws in this article.
Our great Marxist governor will take care of them.
Americans need to travel outside this great nation of ours and see what real poverty looks like
Had to choose only one to reply to, hard decision.
Lived on a farm, in poverty growing up in 1960s. Became a fat kid when we lived on mayo and sugar sandwiches, macaroni and pancakes for over a year, very little meat, no fresh veggies during hardest of times when brother was in Marines in Nam 2 tours, mother became disabled after car accident.
After HS, got job working wards of state mental hospital doing things and seeing things most people would never have the guts to do/care to see. Worked 20 yrs. till a patient injured me and I became disabled. SS Disability since ‘95, income static. $336/mo
out of pocket health ins. to cover meds. Back in poverty.
Order Of Surrender: cell phone, travel-—haven’t seen what’s left of family for over 3 yrs., long distance service, cable, internet, computer (at friends house writing this), eating out, eyeglasses, wellness center membership, house insurance, ability to maintain my home which I have paid for, any ability to purchase edible quality vegetables, fruit, meat on a regular basis. TV, dishwasher, stove circa ‘93, no presentable furniture, no carpet/unfinished floors, no bed to sleep on that doesn’t add to pain, thermostat at 62 to save $, adds to pain...I’m ashamed to let anyone in my house anymore. Volunteer as mentor to 2 M.S. boys, 15 yrs. and thousands of hrs. as vol. facilitator working w/groups of adults incested as children...want to be productive, can’t work full time/sole income.
Now understand desire for assisted suicide. Poverty sucks.
Laura Ingraham needs to educate herself, maybe try living at pov. level a month and see what she can put on her table on a regular basis that is nutritious.
Judge not lest ye be judged, my friends.
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