Between the cracks of hunger

In Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties, one in five children live in poverty. In the tri-county area 500,000 people including nearly 200,000 children, live in poverty.
Four million households in Michigan live at risk of hunger.

Michigan lost one million jobs over the past decade. A large share of the jobs lost once resided here in Southeast Michigan. Those lost jobs were high- and middle-wage lower-education jobs in lower-education industries. It is unlikely these jobs will ever return.

According to Feeding America’s National Hunger study, the number of individual emergency food recipients who receive food each week in Southeast Michigan grew by over 78%.

I live in the city of Detroit where the unemployment reached 12.8% for the month of October 2010. Most of the people living in my neighborhood are on some sort of public assistance. On my street there are probably only handful of people that actually work outside the home.

Not only is public assistance running rampant in this city but so are the number of foreclosed, burned out, and empty houses. It seems like everyday another people is moving out of their house.

People are continually moving out of their homes but with cold weather creeping up on us there will be more people heating their homes with kerosene or going so far as to make an illegal gas hook-up.

My parents house sits between a burned out house and a recently vacated house that no longer has heat or electricity.

Sure its cheap to live in Detroit and there really isn't any other city in this state that can beat the cost but with so many empty houses its hard to sell your home.

I found that if you earn money legally and if you earn more than the median income for your area you will inevitably fall between the cracks of public assistance.

This is the area where me and my family find ourselves. My parents are both senior citizens who live on social security and Medicare but according to an individual at the local social security office they make to much to get SSI which is available to folks their age.

We've even tried several times to get the coveted bridge card which is the current food stamp program. Again we make too much money to get any help.

So now instead of buying food to stay alive we use our money to pay bills so that we can have a house to live in.

My parents get food once a month from Focus Hope. They use to get more canned meat which was great for making enchiladas and soup but now that there are more people getting food than before they get less and less each time.

Not only are people getting free food from food pantry's but they are also getting food stamps or a bridge card loaded with enough money to buy real food for a month.

What are people who fall between the cracks of government help?

Recently unemployment benefits have been extended for another year for those lucky individuals who have been receiving benefits this past year. Why was it so important to keep extending those benefits when others go without just so people who have been getting paid to stay at home continue this pattern while those of us who barely get by go to work.

I know that unemployment nationally is nearing 10%. Both Michigan and California's unemployment was a whopping 12% in October 2010.

On November 2, 2010 not only did the people of United States revolt against the Democratic Party by electing enough Republicans to take control of the US House of Representatives but residents of Michigan elected a governor who isn't a career politician.

On Tuesday November 2nd Rick Snyder was elected he 48th Governor of Michigan. He is the only other Republican elected to the office of governor since John Engler held that post nine years ago.

The current governor has done nothing to help this state. Instead of helping small business her lack of faith in the small business has caused many business to close it's doors after being open less than a year. The small business tax has plagued the small businesses for many years.

I just hope that Mr. Snyder will help get Michigan on a path to success.

Maybe just maybe he will bring about change for the better.

Maybe people that fall between the cracks will be able to get the help they need.

One day maybe we will put an end to hunger.

One can always hope these things will happen but if we do nothing to make a change nothing will ever happen.