Headlines

NPR: How America's Losing The War On Poverty

Summary: 

One half of all jobs in the U.S. today now pay less than $35,000 a year. Adjusted for inflation, that's one of the lowest rates for American workers in five decades.

August 4, 2012

NPR Staff

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Poverty levels on rise

Summary: 

The ranks of America’s poor are on track to climb to levels unseen in nearly half a century, erasing gains from the war on poverty in the 1960s amid a weak economy and fraying government safety net.

July 22, 2012

Associated Press

The ranks of America’s poor are on track to climb to levels unseen in nearly half a century, erasing gains from the war on poverty in the 1960s amid a weak economy and fraying government safety net.

Census figures for 2011 will be released this fall in the weeks ahead of the November elections.

900AM WURD: Host Bill Anderson spreads the word about summer meals

Summary: 

The Morning Show with Bill Anderson interviews Coalition Director Carey Morgan about free summer meals for kids in Philadelphia and other programs that can help families make ends meet.

July 29, 2012

The Morning Show with Bill Anderson interviews Coalition Director Carey Morgan about free summer meals for kids in Philadelphia and other programs that can help families make ends meet.

There are nearly 1,000 sites in Philadelphia where kids and teens can get free summer meals. To find one near you, contact the Philly Summer Meals Hotline: 1-855-252-MEAL.

Listen to the interview below:

WDAS: Philly Summer Meals Hotline featured on "Patty Jackson: The 4-1-1"

Summary: 

WDAS host Patty Jackson encourages listeners to take part in Philadelphia's summer meals program.

July 29, 2012

Philadelphia's "Queen of Entertainment" encouraged her listeners to take part in Philadelphia's summers meals program, which provides free breakfast and lunch to kids at more than 1,000 sites throughout the city.

Coalition Executive Director Carey Morgan informed listeners that they could call the Philly Summer Meals Hotline (1-855-252-MEAL) to find their site.

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NY TIMES: Job Growth Remains Tepid

Summary: 

The nation’s employers created almost enough jobs to keep up with population growth in June, but not nearly enough to reduce the backlog of 13 million unemployed workers.

July 6, 2012

By CATHERINE RAMPELL

The nation’s employers created almost enough jobs to keep up with population growth in June, but not nearly enough to reduce the backlog of nearly 13 million unemployed workers.

The economy added 80,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported Friday, after a revised increase of 77,000 in May. The unemployment rate remained at 8.2 percent.

Economists are expecting tepid job growth for the rest of the year, too.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: House Farm Bill would cut food stamps, farm subsidies

Summary: 

The House Agriculture Committee unveiled its approach for a farm and food bill that would reduce spending by $3.5 billion a year, almost half of that coming from food stamp cuts.

July 6, 2012

By JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Agriculture Committee on Thursday unveiled its approach for a long-term farm and food bill that would reduce spending by $3.5 billion a year, almost half of that coming from cuts in the federal food stamp program.

The legislative draft envisions reducing current food stamp spending projections by $1.6 billion a year, four times the amount of cuts incorporated in the five-year, half-trillion-dollar farm bill passed by the Senate last month.

HUFFINGTON POST: Invisible Issues of the 2012 Campaign-Childhood Hunger

Summary: 

"Ending poverty may be complex but feeding a child is not. This is a problem for which we know the solution and have the necessary resources, but lack only the will."

June 26, 2012

By Billy Shore, Founder and CEO, Share Our Strength

THE ATLANTIC: Why Are Republicans Waging War on Food Stamps Now?

Summary: 

Hunger is high. Overpayments are low. The economy is weak, and food stamps are a strong stimulus. What exactly is the problem the GOP is trying to solve?

June 21, 2012

Hunger is high. Overpayments are low. The economy is weak, and food stamps are a strong stimulus. What exactly is the problem the GOP is trying to solve?

By Jordan Weissmann

Here is a fact that should disturb everyone, regardless of their politics: Today, about one out of every seven Americans receives food stamps. That's a population of 45 million people -- roughly the size of Spain -- who rely on government help to feed themselves.

NY TIMES EDITORIAL: A Mediocre Farm Bill

Summary: 

The Senate-approved Farm Bill needlessly trims food stamps and does not fundamentally alter the program’s bias toward relatively well-off growers of big crops like corn, wheat and soybeans.

June 24, 2012

The farm bill approved by the Senate last week makes significant changes in existing farm programs, some for the better. But it takes a disproportionate whack from environmental programs, needlessly trims food stamps and does not fundamentally alter the program’s bias toward relatively well-off growers of big crops like corn, wheat and soybeans.

KYW: Summer Food Service To Help Feed Children While School Is Out

Summary: 

Free summer meals for Philly kids help families fill the gap during summer months.

June 23, 2012

By John Ostapkovich

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The city of Philadelphia is backing a major program to fill the summer food gap.

Carey Morgan, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, says the summer can be and should be a carefree time, but it can also be a hungry time.

“So many of our children rely on school food services, but what happens when school is over? Well, they rely on the Summer Food Service program,” says Morgan.