Report finds poverty in rural areas higher than urban centers

 

Lyons, Nebraska - Today, the Center for Rural Affairs released a report that challenges many conventional assumptions about where poverty and food insecurity exists in the central United States. The report concludes that rural counties in the Midwest and Great Plains are experiencing higher incidence of poverty as well as greater rates of food insecurity, especially among children, than urban centers in the region. These findings challenge conventional thought and policy debates which often conclude, directly or implicitly, that poverty and food insecurity are primarily urban issues.

"Rural poverty continues to be a serious issue in many parts of the Great Plains region, affecting scores of rural households and families," said Jon Bailey, Director of Research and Analysis at the Center for Rural Affairs and co-author of the report.  "The poverty rates among rural children are most alarming, both in the immediate term and for their long-term development."

The report, Poverty on the Great Plains, is the third in a series of briefs examining data from the 2010 Census. The analysis covers a 10 state region that includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and selected counties in Colorado, Montana, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

A full copy of the report can be downloaded at: http://files.cfra.org/pdf/census-brief3-poverty.pdf

According to the report, 414,331 people in rural areas (or 13.3% of the regional rural population) were living in poverty in 2010. And that same year 145,065 or 16.4% of rural children in the region lived in poverty compared to 15.6% of children in micropolitan counties and 14.1% in metropolitan counties.

While portions of metropolitan areas of the region are likely to have among the highest poverty rates in the region, the data presented here is county level data that in many cases contains both high poverty and low poverty areas within a county or metropolitan area.

Additionally, Bailey points out that another sign of living in poverty is food insecurity. Food Insecurity is defined as USDA's measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members or limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.

Bailey's report finds that rural people who were food insecure accounted for 12.7% of the population in 2010. And rural children who were food insecure accounted for 23.8%. It is critical for the future of rural residents that the issue of food insecurity be addressed. Solving childhood poverty and food insecurity is particularly important as the physical and intellectual development of children is affected by poverty and a lack of access to healthy food.

"A food insecure household may not experience insecurity throughout the entire year," continued Bailey. "Any time one has to make a choice between adequate food and other expenses, such as medical bills, a household is considered to be food insecure."

A previous report also authored by Bailey found that although rural grocery stores play a crucial role in our rural communities, providing vital sources of nutrition, jobs and tax revenue that support the community, they are slowly disappearing across the nation. In Iowa, for example, the number of grocery stores with employees dropped by almost half from 1995 to 2005, from about 1,400 stores in 1995 to slightly over 700 just 10 years later. Meanwhile, "supercenter" grocery stores (Wal-Mart and Target, for example) increased by 175 percent in the 10-year period.

"The growing phenomena of rural 'food deserts' - the lack of outlets for purchasing food - is impacting residents in many rural areas of the nation, no matter their age or income," Bailey explained. "And combined with increased rural poverty rates, especially among rural children, food insecurity among rural families is on the rise."

"In order to reverse these trends in rural America, it is crucial for rural communities and public policy to find new, innovative ways to create rural economic opportunities and revitalize rural economies," said Bailey.

A 2007 Center for Rural Affairs analysis demonstrated that USDA and Congress have severely over-subsidized the biggest and most powerful farms while consistently under-investing in rural economic development, spending twice as much on subsidizing the 20 largest farms in each of 13 leading farm states as it invested in rural development programs to create economic opportunity for millions of people in thousands of towns in the 20 rural counties with the most out-migration in each respective state - (the full report - An Analysis of USDA Farm Program Payments and Rural Development Funding In Low Population Growth Rural Counties, a.k.a. Oversubsidizing and Underinvesting... can be viewed or downloaded at: http://www.cfra.org/node/603).

According to Bailey, federal contributions to rural development have been plummeting for years - almost one-third of the USDA Rural Development budget has been cut since 2003. And Congress is currently considering making even further cuts to already bare-boned rural development programs. For example, funds for the popular Value Added Producer Grant are in jeopardy and all the money for the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program is currently on the chopping block. The USDA only uses about 1.7 percent of its budget for rural development.

"Addressing poverty and food insecurity, especially among rural children, requires setting profoundly different priorities than are evidenced in the iteration of the Farm Bill currently being debated in Congress," concluded Bailey.

DURANGO, CO (04/27/2012)(readMedia)-- Evan Kurtz, of Bettendorf, IA, was honored with the Outstanding Freshman/Sophomore in Spanish Award for the 2011-12 academic year. Kurtz's major is Business Administration - International Business.

Fort Lewis College is a selective public liberal arts college that launches careers and changes lives through a compelling educational experience that features nationally recognized academic programs, extraordinary personal attention from faculty, the freedom of intellectual exploration, and once-in-a-lifetime experiential learning opportunities. Fort Lewis College is a physically active and athletic campus that takes full advantage of its breathtakingly beautiful mountain setting in Durango, Colorado. For more information, visit www.fortlewis.edu.

Des Moines, IA - The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau (GDMCVB) has now launched the annual Summer Ad Campaign, with several new additions this year.

For the first time, the GDMCVB expanded cooperative advertising reach to include Southern Minnesota/Northern Iowa and digital billboards. This has allowed additional Co-op Partners to become involved with the program.

The ads run throughout the summer in the following markets:

• Omaha/Council Bluffs -April-May 2012

o   TV/Radio/Digital Billboards - April 16-May 27

o   Print insert - Sunday, May 20

• Central Iowa - June-July 2012

o   TV/Radio/Digital Billboards - June 18-July 22

• Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa (including entire state line of counties across Northern Iowa and Southern MN - includes towns such as Mankato and Rochester) - June-July 2012

o   TV/Radio/Digital Billboards - June 18-July 22

• Eastern Iowa (Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Iowa City, Quad Cities and Dubuque) - July-August 2012

o   Print inserts - May 20, 2012 in Waterloo and Cedar Falls; May 23, 2012 in Iowa City

o   TV/Digital Billboards - July 16-August 12, 2012

o   Radio - July 23-August 5, 2012

New Co-op Advertising Partners include : Iowa State Fair, Jordan Creek Town Center, Des Moines Arts Festival, 80/35 Music Festival and the National Balloon Classic.

Funding of the Summer Ad Campaign is primarily provided by the GDMCVB which reinvests hotel/motel tax revenues into marketing and advertising initiatives to market Greater Des Moines as a destination. The advertising campaign is able to extend into more markets and for longer periods of time due to the strong support of the following Co-op Ad Partners: Prairie Meadows, Homemakers, Iowa Speedway, Valley West Mall, Des Moines Park and Recreation, Science Center of Iowa, Blank Park Zoo and Adventureland Inn.

To preview the television ads that are airing in Omaha, Council Bluffs and Western Iowa, go to http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4D89F9A080D7F9E5&feature=view_all.  Additional ads featuring other co-op partners will be posted on this link in June.

The ads were created by GDMCVB's new advertising agency, Trilix, with production by Applied Art.

 

The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote Greater Des Moines as a fun, vibrant and affordable destination statewide, nationally and internationally. Our focus increases visitors to our community through meetings, conventions, sports events, leisure travel, and group tours, thereby contributing to the local economy.

 

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In Honor of Mother's Day and with the Message "Compassion, Pass It On"

The J.Jill Compassion Fund Will Raise Funds For Programs That Support Women in Need

April 30 - May 13

April 23, 2012 -Quincy, MA - In honor of Mother's Day, and with the overall message "Compassion, Pass It On," J. Jill will launch a two-week initiative to raise funds and build awareness of its mission to support programs that combat issues of poverty and homelessness that affect women and children. With a goal to raise $150,000, J.Jill will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their exclusive J.Jill Spring 2012 Compassion tee to $100,000, to the The J. Jill Compassion Fund ; as well as $1 per transaction, up to $50,000, on any sale in stores, online or via catalog, April 30 through May 13.

In addition, to illustrate the theme Compassion, Pass It On, J.Jill has collaborated with longtime charitable partner Women in Need's Homework Helpers, an afterschool educational program for homeless children in New York City, on a very special art project. The children of WIN's Homework Helpers created imaginative and colorful fingerprint artwork with messages of compassion for e-cards that consumers can "pass on" to friends and loved ones. The e-cards are free to consumers, and for each e-card sent The J.Jill Compassion Fund will donate $1 directly to Women in Need's Homework Helpers, up to $50,000. The e-cards are available beginning April 30 at www.jjill.com/compassion.

For the past decade, The J. Jill Compassion Fund has been unwavering in its mission to support organizations that help disadvantaged and homeless women become self-sufficient. Today, as these issues are affecting a growing number of women from all walks of life, J. Jill is even more committed to helping women in need overcome these challenges and find permanent solutions. With the generous support of J.Jill customers, the Compassion Fund has donated more than $3 million to over 60 local organizations that help women in need regain their self-sufficiency.

About J.Jill

J.Jill is a leading multichannel fashion retailer of women's apparel, accessories and footwear. The perfect balance of fashion and comfort, J.Jill offers exclusive designs through their specialty retail stores nationwide, as well as their website and catalog  businesses. Founded in 1959 and based in Quincy, Mass., J.Jill is a growing cross-channel business with more than 230 retail
stores in 44 states, in-house production of more than 26 catalogs a year, an ever-growing website business, and a state-of-the-art distribution center in Tilton, NH.

About the J.Jill Compassion Fund

Founded in 2002, the J.Jill Compassion Fund is committed to providing support to community-based organizations that help disadvantaged and homeless women become self-sufficient.  J. Jill is honored to give to local organizations that help women in need regain their independence through programs that focus on education, job skills, and transitional and affordable housing. A donor-advised fund of the Boston Foundation, the J.Jill Compassion Fund has donated more than $3 million to over 60 organizations nationwide.

About Women In Need and Homework Helpers

Women In Need, Inc., has been serving homeless families in New York City for nearly 30 years, offering housing, help and hope to women and their children. J.Jill has been a friend to WIN for nearly 15 of those years. In 2001, Women In Need, with J.Jill as a full partner, created its Homework Helpers program for schoolage children in their shelters. Homework Helpers staff works with the NYC Board of Education to help stigmatized and often traumatized children excel in their schoolwork in a fun and nurturing environment.

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