Pennies for Poverty:
Two Cents For Change
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Pennies for Poverty 2 cents 4 change
By Stewart Lytle, Reporter
NEWBURYPORT— If you buy a new pair of running shoes at Yankee Runner on Pleasant Street or a hardback best seller at the Jabberwocky Bookshop in the Tannery on Water Street or a mermaid statute at the Flukes and Finds shop on State Street, you are fighting poverty in Newburyport.
The rest of the article can be read here: Page 1, Page 2.
Commission on Diversity and Tolerance Grant Awarded to Pennies:
Pennies for Poverty: 2 Cents 4 Change was awarded a grant from the Commission on Diversity and Tolerance for increasing awareness of Poverty. The Commission on Diversity and Tolerance awards grants to those individuals or groups which helps "our mutual mission of promoting inclusion, tolerance and diversity, and ending discrimination and acts of hate in our community."
Povery here comes out of the shadows in hard times
Posted on Newburyport Current, Mar 26, 2010 @ 11:52 AM
Wicked Local Photo by Ian Hurley
Pettengil House volunteers Jean Mercer of Salisbury, left, and Dianne LeSage of Newbury, help fill a bag of food items for one of the food pantry's clients on Tuesday morning, March 9.
Newburyport—
How much is enough to get by? The answer can be different, depending on where you are.
In Newburyport, the admittedly high cost of living—in particular, housing costs—affects the ability of families to make a go of it.
Families and individuals are struggling in the city, but they often go unseen and unacknowledged, said Catherine Gould, co-founder and president of Pennies for Poverty: 2 Cents 4 Change.
"Poverty here in Newburyport is very different than poverty in Lawrence," she said.
The nonprofit seeks to raise awareness of extreme need to lessen its effects and ultimately eliminate its root causes. In its recently released "Monitoring Poverty" annual report, we learn that 711 Newburyport households are subsisting in severe poverty and 1,424 in moderate need, while 1,345 are considered to be at risk for poverty.
Pennies for Poverty developed its own definition for poverty in the city —one that took into account the elevated cost of living. So being poor in Newburyport reflects a higher income limit than the federal poverty line, which is about $20,000 for a family of four.
Pennies for Poverty concluded that, to avoid poverty here, a single person must earn at least $25,000 a year; two adults, $35,000; and a family with two children, $50,000.
The report also found something alarming: Earning less than $50,000 could leave many in Newburyport teetering near poverty, especially those without assets to fall back on.
This lack of a "security net" leaves them always one disaster away from being in dire need. An unforeseen car problem, medical expense or job layoff can quickly drive families to the brink.
"You have to have a cushion in this economy," said Gould.
The report counters the notion that Newburyport somehow has escaped the distressing incidence of poverty, she said.
"Because it's perceived as an upper class town, people don't talk about their own personal financial issues. Everyone tries to keep the perception going," she said.
Financial hardship also carries stigma and shame, something Gould wants to change by bringing poverty out of the closet so people can feel comfortable sharing their problems with friends and neighbors.
Intangible but real
The plight of struggling families in Newburyport should be a concern to all, Gould said, because something fundamental would be lost if the city were to become homogenous, without economic diversity. A shrinking middle class is a symptom of a social ill, she said. "It's very unhealthy and creates a big social divide."
Gould said she worries that, with the recession, more and more people nearing retirement will face high debt, while the younger generation will struggle to get by on low-wage jobs. Members of both generations might not be able to afford to stay in their hometown.
"It would be a loss to the community if they had to move out of town. You lose your cultural heritage," she said.
In Newburyport, where there's a lack of racial diversity but a vibrant mix of long-time locals and newcomers, it's the "cultural heritage that people find fascinating ... that brings the flavor," Gould said.
For information about Pennies for Poverty and its programs, visit 2cents4change.com
Report: Level of poverty growing
By Katie Farrell Lovett, Staff writer
NEWBURYPORT—Pennies for Poverty: Two Cents for Change will hold its spring food drive from March 19 to 21 at Shaw's in Port Plaza, just weeks after releasing its new 2010 report on the level of poverty in the city.
The most recent document, which includes older figures and statistics, again reminds the community of a startling figure, first reported by Pennies for Poverty last year: 44 percent of the Newburyport population is poor or at serious risk of being poor, said Pennies for Poverty founder Catherine Gould.
Pennies for Poverty: 2 Cents 4 Change Inc. was created two years ago as a volunteer group whose purpose is fundraising, promoting volunteerism and donations to food pantries and soup kitchens, and raising awareness about poverty in the city.
In a community like Newburyport, which is considered to be affluent, the need to raise awareness about poverty is great, Gould said.
"We need to take poverty and being poor out of the closet," she said yesterday. "It's hidden. It's a lot harder to be poor in an affluent community. People don't talk about it. People think of Newburyport as being one of the affluent cities—changing that perception is important."
Gould said the organization strives to educate the public on the factors of poverty and agencies that are available with assistance and aid. "There's nothing to be ashamed of," she said. "Most poverty is not caused by a human failing."
Poverty often stems from factors beyond one's control, Gould said, including the economy, the impact of government policies, medical problems, an unexpected life crisis or a lack of funding from programs like Social Security.
There are 711 households in Newburyport in "severe poverty" or having income less than $15,000, according to the report. There are 1,424 households in moderate poverty or living on less than $35,000. There are 1,345 households with annual incomes under $50,000 that are at risk of poverty.
According to Pennies for Poverty, for a person to have the adequate resources not to be poor in Newburyport, a single person needs to make $25,000; two adults, $35,000; and a family with two children needs to make $50,000. They defined severe poverty as earning less than $15,000, moderate poverty as less than $35,000 and a serious risk of poverty as earning less than $50,000, depending on family size.
Gould has submitted copies of the Pennies for Poverty annual report to local and state officials, as well as U.S. Sens. Scott Brown and John Kerry.
Gould noted that the report is based on older numbers, including some from 2006, before the economic downturn hit. "It's striking," she said. "The more we're able to talk about poverty and being poor, the more support they'll get."
The spring food drive will benefit five area food pantries: Community Action, Community Service, Our Neighbors' Table, Pettengill House and the Salvation Army.
The group is also seeking donations for the 2 Cent Grant Fund and Local Needs Fund. The Local Needs money collected at the Spring Food Drive will be donated to Community Service for non-food necessary items, such as personal care items.
For more information on the Pennies for Poverty campaign or to download the group's new report, visit http://www.2cents4change.com or call Catherine Gould at 978-463-0507. The organization's Board of Directors is currently looking for new volunteers.