SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — January is Nationwide Poverty Consciousness Month, however an area nonprofit group spreads the phrase all year long.
Pals of the Poor in Scranton is devoted to serving to folks dwelling in poverty in Lackawanna County and enhancing their high quality of life.
Considered one of their packages is created particularly for seniors within the space, which is turning into increasingly fashionable as costs proceed to rise.
January is Nationwide Poverty Consciousness Month, and it serves as a reminder to acknowledge these in your neighborhood who might use a serving to hand, even when it would not straight have an effect on you.
“It is really easy to not see it in any respect. And I do know that being on the employees of Pals of the Poor, simply being extra concerned on this, you do not notice the depth of poverty that’s on this space. It is very prevalent, extra so than you would possibly anticipate, and in the event you’re not round, you begin to neglect it,” mentioned Brady Funkhouser, Pals of the Poor’s Operations Supervisor.
Native nonprofit group Pals of the Poor works 365 days a 12 months to assist these in want.
Considered one of its packages, designed particularly to assist folks 60 and older, has seen a surge in purposes as the general value of dwelling continues to rise.
“We have seen these numbers go up and we have additionally been attempting to get the phrase out as a result of it is a federally funded program, in the event you’re 60 or older and fall into the poverty pointers, you routinely qualify for it, Funkhouser defined.
Pals of the Poor companions with CEO Weinberg Meals Financial institution to supply seniors dwelling at or beneath the poverty degree with a month-to-month field of meals to complement their dietary wants.
It’s designed to enhance the well being of low-income seniors dwelling in Lackawanna County.
The Senior Meals Field is a really useful program for seniors within the space, however Pals of the Poor gives a number of different sources for all ages, year-round.
“We’ve got a garments line for males that provides work garments for the boys who want it. We’ve got a furnishings financial institution, a HomeGoods retailer that has all the pieces you want for your home in the event you’re beginning over, refugees, individuals who had a fireplace or have to depart their home for no matter purpose, after which we simply have lots of meals banks in your complete Scranton space,” Funkhouser mentioned.
The Senior Meals Field Program, together with all of the sources that Pals of the Poor gives, permits them to assist low-income people and households inside the space, from January by means of December.
Every month-to-month field of senior meals incorporates 4 cans of greens, two cans of fruit, two bottles of juice, two containers of cereal, one can of meat or fish, one meatless protein, two quarts of milk steady, two kilos of pasta or rice, and a two-pound field of cheese.