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As went American industry in the 1970s and 80s, so went Braddock, Pennsylvania. As with so much of the “Rust Belt,” the town of 2,100 in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh has seen jobs largely dry up, and despite the spirited and sustained efforts of local workers to revitalize the local economy, its population remains a fraction of its peak in the early 20th century. Poverty today is rampant. 

  • 23.9% of households have an annual income of under $15,000
  • 64.6% are unemployed
  • 50.9% of children under 18 live in poverty

Poverty in Braddock reaches across racial and ethnic boundaries, affecting the town’s African American, Caucasian, Latino and mixed residents. In particular, children in Braddock experience poverty — around 50% of kids there live in poverty, almost triple the statewide average. 

Our community partner in Braddock is the nonprofit For Good PGH, an organization whose programs stress inclusivity in order to “create positive experiences for underserved populations” in greater Pittsburgh. Their convictions that “giving is much easier than we realize” and that “the impact is profound” are ones that Family-to-Family shares. We are proud to support their work.

Community Partner:

Giselle Fetterman
For Good PGH
910 Braddock Avenue
Braddock, PA 15104

 

 

Data Sources:
2022 U.S. Census Bureau

While the prevailing stereotype of Boston is that of a cluster of tightly-knit, mostly white, working class neighborhoods, the reality is that recent decades have brought a sea change to the city’s racial and economic makeup. Boston is increasingly diverse racially (28% of Bostonians were born outside the U.S., one of the highest rates in the country), while also presenting startling levels of income inequality (it’s the 7th least equal city in the nation by some metrics).

According to the U.S. 2024 Census Bureau:

  • 16.5% of people and 24% of children live below the poverty line
  • ~32% of households have an income of under $35,000

Poverty, and the food insecurity it brings, is most keenly felt by those Bostonians born outside the United States. Almost one in three Asians live in poverty — more than double the rate of white Bostonians. Many of these impoverished recent immigrants are the families we help through our Boston partner organization, Josiah Quincy Elementary School (JQES), located in the downtown section of the city.  

The largest public elementary school in Boston; Josiah Quincy is an inner city school with a diverse student body with special programs for English Language Learners and Students with Multiple Disabilities. Over 83% of the students are considered high needs (current or former English Language Learners, Economically Disadvantaged, or Students with Disabilities). The mission of the school is to prepare students to be contributing global citizens, with an emphasis on international mindedness. 

Through our sponsorship program, economically struggling families recommended by our contact at Josiah Quincy, Ashley Alvarez, receive monthly grocery store gift cards to a local grocery store near their homes.

Community Contact

Ashley Alvarez
Josiah Quincy Elementary School
885 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111

Data Sources: Censusreporter.org, U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS 1-year estimates, 2024)

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

First a center for colonists fighting the British in the Revolutionary War, and later a thriving manufacturing hub, the city of Worcester has been an important and symbolic site of America’s heritage for over 200 years. Like many New England cities, Worcester’s economy collapsed after the decline of U.S. manufacturing between 1950 and 1980, and although healthcare and biotechnology companies were brought in to expand the job base, poverty is still widespread.

Data: 2022 U.S. Census Bureau’s American

  • 37.6% of residents are unemployed
  • 31% of households have an income of under $35,000

Family-to-Family’s partner in Worcester is the Green Island Neighborhood Center.  Green Island houses a food pantry and after-school program as well as helps area residents with issues relating to food stamps, housing, employment and health services. Green Islands’ Program Director, Elizabeth Lopez and her staff identify and recommend families in need to our sponsorship program.

Sponsored families are provided with a monthly grocery store gift card to a local store, which is distributed to them at the Green Island Center.

Community Partner:
Elizabeth Lopez
Green Island Neighborhood Center
50 Canton St
Worcester, MA 01610

Data: U.S. Census Bureau Community Survey

Read more about Worcester’s hunger problem below.

1. “Hunger pains: Winter adds challenges to feeding those in need in Central Mass”

2. What Happened to Worcester?

3. Worcester on the Rise – Along with Poverty


Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

In northwestern New Mexico near the Arizona border is the city of Gallup, which abuts lands belonging to the Navajo Nation. A substantial part of Gallup’s population is Native American, including some Hopi, Zuni and a large number of Navajos. Gallup is also the location of The Community Pantry, which provides food to impoverished Navajo families and serves as our coordinating agency and link to the Navajo families we serve.

While some official statistics put Gallup’s unemployment rate at 20% in 2016, many of the “jobs” counted include self-employed individuals who create and sell handmade goods and provide services for very little money. According to the Navajo Nation, excluding these low-earning individuals would bring the true unemployment rate to just over 57%. Other issues add to the economic blight. Businesses stay away from the region because roads are unpaved, and electricity, water and telecommunications services are minimal to non-existent, although access has improved since 2000. Police and fire services are similarly limited.

According to 2010 census data (the latest available):

  • Just over 46% of Navajo Nation homes had no telephones.
  • Over 21% of homes had incomplete plumbing.
  • 87% of the 9,286 miles of reservation roads were unpaved.
  • 44% of people under the age of 18 in the Navajo Nation lived below the poverty level.
  • Almost 32% of all households in the Navajo Nation had annual incomes below $15,000.

Outreach workers helping the Navajo families who use the Community Pantry say living conditions are extreme. “We have families with 4-7 children that live in one room — 20’x 20’ un-insulated, plywood shacks — with no utilities (maybe an extension cord strung from the one electrical meter located in the camp) and a wood stove. One ‘camp’ outhouse is for all families. Other families live in traditional Hogans (8-sided one room log/mud homes) with chunks of mud missing in the walls and cardboard or blankets stuffed in windows. Wind and dirt blow under the door. Soot from the wood stove accumulates, making air quality dangerous.”

Many families have no available transportation; cars are old and often broken-down, and public transportation is minimal or nonexistent. Distances are vast; without phones or transportation, communication is difficult and families are isolated.

Hilda Kendall, the chief operating officer at the Gallup Community Pantry, is our community contact in Gallup. The Pantry’s Emergency Food Assistance Program provides food to about 1,500 families every month.

Community Contact:
Hilda Kendall
The Community Pantry
PO Box 520
Gallup, New Mexico 87305

To learn more about the Navajo Nation in New Mexico:

Data Sources: Navajo Nation Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2018; Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development; Demographic Analysis of the Navajo Nation Using 2010 Census and 2016-2017 American Community Survey Estimates

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

In the heart of Appalachia’s Cumberland Mountains, the town of Beverly is home to Red Bird Mission, a poverty relief organization that serves a remote, impoverished population in Bell, Clay, and Leslie counties in southeastern Kentucky. Access to the region can be difficult, depending on the weather and time of year. Public services and infrastructure are minimal, and lack of education is a significant issue. Public water is inadequate and there’s no public sewer. Telephone and electricity service are unreliable during bad weather.

According to the 2024 Census data:

  • In Bell County 28% of people and 31% of children live below the poverty line
  • In Clay County 32% of people and 47% of children live below the poverty line
  • In Bell and Clay County ~40% of households have an income of under $25,000
  • In Bell County 57% of housing units are valued under $100,000
  • The median household income in Beverly, Kentucky is approximately $47,000

Red Bird Mission is the local coordinating agency that refers families in need and distributes groceries purchased by Family-to-Family donating families. Red Bird is a National Mission Institution of The United Methodist Church, and since 1921, it has provided educational, medical, and community outreach programs for residents of the Red Bird River Valley.

In addition to its regular sponsorship program to help families living under the poverty line, Family-to-Family also supports “The Gap Pantry” at Red Bird Mission, which provides food to struggling families with incomes just over the poverty line. Through this sponsorship program, low income, working families can “shop” (no funds needed), for the foods they most need at the “Gap” pantry. Read more about “Gap” family sponsorship here.

Community Contact
Candace Collins
Red Bird Mission
70 Queendale Center
Beverly, KY 40913

To learn more about the area:

Data Sources: Censusreporter.org, U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS 5-year estimates, 2024)

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

Pembroke was the beginning. The community that inspired the founding of Family-to-Family in 2002 when it was featured in a front-page article in the New York Times, is:

  • Located in Kankakee County, 70 miles south of Chicago.
  • Populated by roughly 1700 residents, primarily African-American.
  • Lacking a supermarket, police force, barbershop, gas station, bookstore and pharmacy and has no bus or train connections.

Many of Pembroke’s roads are unpaved, just sand or gravel, and many homes are trailers or crumbling shacks with dirt floors and no running water. Some have tires sitting on top to keep a damaged roof from flying off, and many households have no telephone service. Until a credit union opened in 2007, there were no banks or financial institutions of any kind.

According to 2024 data, in Pembroke township:

  • 18% of residents live below the poverty line
  • There is a median household income of $32,123
  • 39% of households have an income under $25,000
  • 82% do not have a Bachelors degree

Family-to-Family works with Wilhelmina Gibbs of the Pembroke school district to serve our sponsored families in the Pembroke/St. Anne/Momence area. We partner with Meijer Stores in Bradley to provide groceries for our sponsored families.

Community Contact
Wilhelmina Gibbs
Lorenzo R. Smith School
4120 S. Wheeler Road
Hopkins Park, IL 60944

To learn more:

Data Sources:  Censusreporter.org, U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS 5-year estimates, 2024)

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!