This morning’s New York Times ran a page 1 story with the title, Wallets Out, Wall Street Dares to Indulge. It noted that “Two years after the onset of the financial crisis, the stock market is recovering and Wall Street’s moneyed elite are breathing easier again. … when it comes to personal indulgences, there are signs that the wallets are beginning to open up.” Bookings are increasing at expensive restaurants, extravagant parties are being held, and summer rentals in the Hamptons are being made.
Meanwhile, in the rest of the country, where unemployment reigns, foreclosures are increasing, and the poverty rate rises, it’s a different story.
The front page of USA Today ran the other story, As food prices rise, groups struggle to provide hunger relief. This story noted that 15% of households, 17 million families, went hungry in 2009, and that number is likely increasing. As a result, demand at some food banks is growing beyond their capacity to help.
A quick search of the news found these stories from around the country. In the Washington DC area, food banks swamped by demand. The Bellingham WA food bank is distributing to record number of hungry people. Missoula MT is distributing emergency food. Working poor and under-employed people are coming through the doors in Utica NY. A food bank in Covington LA shows strains of economy as it has seen a dramatic increase in demand over the last year. A San Francisco food bank will provide holiday groceries for record number of families this Thanksgiving. And according to Google News, there were 73 similar stories. Summing it up, a food pantry volunteer in Niles OH said, "People have lost homes. They've lost jobs, don't have enough money to feed their families. We're serving more people than we ever have in our history.”
As Advent begins on Monday, I will pray for the coming of the Lord of whom Mary sang “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”
