Family-to-Family

Share Your Bounty

Located in far western Missouri, the tiny town of Rich Hill is 70 miles due south of Kansas City and a stone’s throw from the Kansas border.

Once a thriving coal mining town, Rich Hill’s downtown today is dilapidated and littered with vacant storefronts. The shrinking population is 1,393, as of the 2010 U.S. Census, and 37% of children under 18 live below the federal poverty line.  30% of wage earners earn less than $10,000 a year.

Rich Hill caught Family-to-Family’s eye when Executive Director Pam Koner watched the 2014 documentary “Rich Hill,” a Sundance Film Festival prize winning film about the lives and struggles of three impoverished Rich Hill teenage boys.

With mainly low wage job opportunities and a higher than average unemployment rate, Rich Hill is the perfect recipient of our Sponsor A Family program.

Family-to-Family’s partners in Rich Hill are the Rich Hill Elementary School and The Rich Hill Ministerial Alliance.  Families in need are recommended to us by the school principal, and once sponsored, pick up their monthly groceries (purchased from the local Food Fair store) at the Ministerial Alliance.

Community Partners:
Jani Drake, Principal
Rich Hill Elementary School
320 East Poplar Street
Rich Hill, MO 64779

Mark Kailbourn
The Rich Hill Ministerial Alliance
215 East Park Ave.
Rich Hill, MO 64779

Learn more about the hardships facing Rich Hill.

The Poverty of Relentless Disappointment: Rich Hill and a Vanishing American Dream

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

Formerly known as East Las Vegas, the town of Whitney is just a 20 minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip.  Not long ago, the area boasted a robust economy thanks to abundant jobs in Las Vegas, but during the recent economic downturn the tourism industry was hit hard and those jobs dried up.  Especially for the 18.4% of adults without high school diplomas, making a living has never been harder.  Since the early 2000’s, Whitney has seen its poverty rate climb by nearly 50%, while its population has more than doubled.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, in Whitney:

  • 19.6% of households have an annual income of less than $25,000
  • 21% of families with children live below the poverty line
  • 18.4% of people over 25 never finished high school
  • 81.2% of people over 25 don’t have a college degree

Family-to-Family’s community partner here is the Whitney Elementary School, where school officials witness the poverty their students face every day.  An administrator tells us, “Most families have limited or no income at all. They live in government housing and 80% of the children are receiving free lunches. At our school, we try to provide clothes, shoes, and food to help the kids feel good about themselves, so they can learn.”

In Whitney, Family-to-Family partners with Albertson’s grocery store to provide groceries for our sponsored families.

Community Contact:
Sherrie Gahn
5005 Keenan Avenue
LasVegas, NV 89122-7461

Click here to watch a CBS News piece about how families at Whitney Elementary School are struggling to overcome poverty.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2008-2012

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

Just 20 minutes north of Birmingham, the town of Brookside (population 1,363) is a small pocket of nature and beauty next to the big city. The town sits on six square miles along the bank of Five Mile Creek, hence the name Brookside. A former mining town, it grew up around the Brookside Coal Mine, which opened in 1886. Original settlers were eastern European immigrants who flocked there in order to work in the mines. When the mines closed in the 1920s, Brookside saw economic troubles that have persisted ever since.

According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2013-2017 data:

  • 41% of Brookside children live below the federal poverty line
  • 45% of adults 25 or older do not have a high school diploma
  • 33% of families have an annual income of less than $15,000 a year

Family-to-Family’s contact in Brookside is Kara Miller of the Boys and Girls Club of Brookside.  The club provides extensive after-school programs, including homework help and tutoring.  When the school year is over, the club runs summer programs to keep area kids busy, healthy, fit, and happy.

A large number of the children served by the Brookside Boys and Girls Club live in poverty, with an estimated 80% qualifying for free lunch at school.  Many are being raised by single mothers or grandparents, and live in public housing.

In Brookside, we work with the local Publix Super Market to provide monthly groceries for our sponsored families.

Community Liaison:
Kara Miller
Brookside Boys & Girls Club
4199 Municipal Drive
Brookside, AL 35036

Data Source: Poverty & Education statistics – U.S. Census Bureau, 2016 American Community Survey

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.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Fact Finder, 2013, in Worcester:

  • 27.2% of families with children live below the poverty line.
  • 31% of all children under age 18 live below the poverty level.
  • 22.6% of families have an annual income of less than $25,000

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

Read more about Worcester’s hunger problem below.

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

2. Worcester Ranked Among Cities in America Hit Hardest by Poverty in Recent Wall Street Financial Report


Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

Located midway between Austin and Dallas, the city of Waco was built around the Waco Suspension Bridge along the Brazos River.  A small city in McLennan County with a population of 127,796 people, Waco has significant economic problems.

23% of adults over 25 have no high school diploma, and for this group in particular, jobs paying more than minimum wage are hard to find.  Although Waco is home to three Texas colleges and universities, jobs for graduates are sparse and job seekers travel to Austin and Dallas for better employment.

Without a car commuting is difficult, because public transportation is inadequate and local bus service ends at 7pm.

Divided into three sectors, the sector of East Waco has the poorest population.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in East Waco:

  • Median annual household income is $15,190
  • 34.9% of households have a single female head of household (mainly single mothers)
  • Median household income is lower than 70% of the median household income for all of Texas

In all of Waco:

  • 29.4% of individuals live below the poverty level.
  • 30.9% of families with children under 18 live below the poverty level.

According to the FBI Uniform Crime Rate 2008 data, Waco has a crime rate of 59 per one thousand residents, one of the highest crime rates in the U.S.  The chances of becoming a victim of either a violent crime or a property crime in Waco is one in 17.

George Washington Carver Middle School in Waco is Family-to-Family’s partner organization in Waco. Shirley Langston, a Family Support Specialist at the school, recommends families in need to our program, and acts as a liaison with the families.

In Waco, Family-to-Family partners with H-E-B markets to provide grocery gift cards for our sponsored families.

Community Contact:
Shirley Langston
George Washington Carver Middle School
1601 JJ Flewellen Road
Waco, Texas 76704

Learn more about poverty in the Waco community.

Waco: People witness poverty first hand during simulation

Sources: Waco Texas Executive Study; US Census Bureau, 2010 Census; U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

Although Orlando brings to mind Disney stories, smiling children and summer vacations, the 2008 recession hit the city hard. The collapse of a hyper-inflated real estate market and a sharp downturn in tourism took their toll, with many residents of central Florida losing tourism related jobs. As the country and the state of Florida have rebounded since 2010, Orlando’s unemployment rate has dropped, but at least 350,000 Central Floridians remain mired in poverty, in large part because available jobs pay very low wages.  

According to 2016 data, in Orlando:

  • 23% of children under 18 lived below the poverty level
  • Just under 28% of families have total annual incomes of less than $25,000.

The working poor number is even bigger. A United Way study showed that 43% of households in Orlando’s Orange County report being unable to afford bare necessities, despite being employed. The median hourly wage in Florida is one of the country’s lowest.

Family-to-Family’s liaison in Orlando is the Jesus Loves You Outreach Ministry, led by its president and founder Pauline Jackson. Pauline opened her doors in 2002. A wife, grandmother and mother of four, she says of her service to others, “I had a rough life. But God came into my life. He saved me. This is my way to give back.” Pauline’s devotion helps hundreds of families in the greater Orlando area. The ministry opens its doors on Wednesdays to offer food, household items, baby supplies and clothing, currently serving anywhere from 70 to 110 families a week. She also runs school backpack and supply drives for low income children every summer as well as personal care item drives for the homeless. And with help from Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, the Ministry also offers a children’s summer food program. On Thursday afternoons kids receive backpacks full of non-perishable foods to take home so they’ll have something to eat over the weekend.

Pauline identifies families in need for Family-to-Family’s sponsorship program and The Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida provide groceries for our sponsored families.

Community Partner:
Pauline Jackson
Jesus Loves You Outreach Ministries
6111 Lost Tree Ct.
Orlando, Florida 32808

To learn more:

Data Sources: 2013-2017 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau; United Way

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!