Did you eat today?
Some of your neighbors did not.
Chester County is the wealthiest county in Pennsylvania, with a median household income of slightly over $85,000. Yet, in March of 2017, according to the Hunger Coalition, more than 25,000 Chester County residents received SNAP money. Of these, 11,430 were children. Penn Medicine “learned that while 7.1 percent of individuals live in poverty county-wide, there are a half-dozen municipalities that experience poverty rates in excess of 15 percent.” [Source.]
Indivisible Chester County wants to do something here, in our backyard, to help our neighbors.
We have launched a fundraiser to benefit the Chester County Food Bank, a non-profit that provides financial support to the 120 Food Providers and Hot Meal sites in Chester County. If you, or someone you know, is in need of food, you can see the provider list here.
Won’t you help?
Ready to donate? Click here.
I’ve been asked why ICC, a political organization, would run a fundraiser having nothing to do with politics. The answer is, hunger in America, and right here in our neighborhoods, is a political issue. We all pay taxes and those taxes are allocated at the local, state and Federal levels by elected officials. I don’t have to tell you how much more money goes to war than goes to social services. While we wait to elect people who will better allocate our tax dollars, we can help in a direct and immediate way.
We have almost 2,500 members, and are asking that each of you contribute $1 to help us reach our goal of $2,500 by Labor Day. Click here to donate.
My personal hunger story: Back in 2010, I was at the dog park, and Olivia was playing. A girl, 9 or 10 years old, was at the park with her dog and we were talking: her dad and two younger siblings were playing nearby on the playground equipment. She told me how she was so very proud that she hadn’t eaten anything since school lunch on Friday. This was Sunday. Her dad had lost his job in the downturn, and he was delivering pizzas until he found a new full time job. Sometimes if there was an extra pizza, they ate that for dinner. Her mom had MS, and they had taken a family vote and chose to pay for mom’s meds in lieu of food. I got her address, and she lived less than a mile from me. LESS THAN A MILE. I raced home and packed up all the food I could and took it over there. It was the first time I understood that hunger is quiet. Hunger is invisible. Hunger is local. Hunger can happen to anyone.
The economy is better now, but there are still hungry people here in Chester County, likely in your neighborhood. For those of us able to eat everyday, it may seem like an abstraction…but it’s very real to far too many people.
Click here to donate.
Thanks in advance for your help! Because of you, one less child will go to bed hungry tonight.