HumanDevelopmentEssayCC15

You are considered poor if you earn under $20,000 a year. Poverty is an issue taking place in our backyard. People that we think we now are living in poverty right now. In fact, 46 million people in America are living in poverty (Poverty Tour | Watch a Video on the State of Poverty USA). Poverty Tour states, "One out of every six people in the United States lives in poverty, and even worse, one out of every five kids." It is easy to think that poverty doesn't occur wherever we live, but in reality we have major poverty all around us. Hillsborough County has a poverty rate of 19.1% which is the second highest poverty rate out of the five countys touching it (Poverty Map). Florida also has a poverty rate of 17%, and majority of Southern United States in fact has a poverty rate of 17% or higher (Interactive Poverty Map). In fact, Florida has about one and a half million people living on or below the poverty line right now (Poverty in Florida). An even more shocking fact is that one third of the poor in Florida are children, one fifth of the poor in Florida are over 60 years old, and the remainder of the poor in Florida is disabled, unemployed, or even employed adults (Poverty in Florida).

One organization that fights poverty is CCHD. CCHD stands for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, which is an anti-poverty organization that sponsors smaller poverty fighting organizations throughout America ( Catholic Campaign for Human Development). CCHD is sponsored by the bishops in the US and they carry out God'd mission (Catholic Campaign). They give money to organizations like Two Feet of Love and Action, Poverty USA, and many others that show love and walk humbly with God (Catholic Campaign). They apply Catholic social teachings to the world around them and allow a sense of hope and love to be placed in the hearts of poor. They really do show love and walk humbly with God, and are present day problem solvers. CCHD has a certain amount of money that they give to organizations and churches throughout the United States, and due to their budget, they have to decide how much money to give to each organization to keep running properly (Catholic Campaign). The bishops sit down and talk about some major factors that decide how much money each group gets, and by doing so they solve yet another problem.

An organization that helps stop poverty through charitable works is Metropolitan Ministries. Charitable works are responding to the immediate and short term needs of individuals and families (Two Feet of Love and Action). Metropolitan Ministries does just this, and throughout their years in the Tampa Bay area they have served over 1,632,803 meals (The Basics about Metropolitan Ministries). They see and respond to the instant needs of those in need, and do so in many more ways than just serving meals. Metropolitan Ministries provides the three necessities to life at their facilities which are food, clothing, and shelter. As you know, they serve many meals, but they also provide clothes for those in need (The Basics). They give five articles of clothing to a person each day, and give them a sense of pride by allowing them to pick out the clothes that they want (The Basics). They also give short term shelter for those who are training in a profession and are homeless, and give them that short amount of time to get on their feet (The Basics). I was fortunate enough to volunteer at the clothing department at Metropolitan Ministries for a school field trip last year. It was amazing to give people the choice of what clothes they wanted because I think that for a short while they could forget that they were homeless and just pick the clothes that they would wear tomorrow.

Metropolitan Ministries is also an organization that incorporates social justice into their daily work. Social justice is looking at the root causes of problems that effect many people and trying to address some of the polices structures and laws that cause these problems to exist (Two Feet). Metropolitan Ministries realizes that unemployment is is one of the main issues that causes poverty (Metropolitan Ministries Helps Tampa Homeless Get Educated and Employed). Since this is so, classes take place that can train people to maintain positions at a high wage job (Metropolitan Ministries). Metropolitan Ministries states, "Education and job-skills training are long-term solutions for families. If they get some support and good child care for their kids, even for a few months, they can finish high school or get skills training that will enable them to actually provide for their family." This statement shows that Metropolitan Ministries focuses on the future rather than the past, and they train every individual to be prepared for a future of income (Metropolitan Ministries). By providing people with the skills to obtain a sufficient income, they also teach the poor how to manage their money so they are not overwhelmed with their new found cash flow (Metropolitan Ministries). This shows that the staff at Metropolitan Ministries really does care about the future of others, and that God's teachings are living in everyone of them.

Poverty is not just a problem in the US, in is international. Organizations like CCHD, Metropolitan Ministries, and Two Feet of Love and Action all help this international problem. We can solve this poverty problem by ending poverty in our community first. I love and walk humbly with God in many ways, one of them being through volunteering. I volunteer Feeding America and Metropolitan Ministries. I volunteer at these placing to help the poverty issue in my community, and I feel that every person that I help is one step closer I am to heaven. I also love and walk humbly with God by simply being a good Catholic. I try to set apart time every day in the morning and at night to pray to God. In addition to praying I go to mass everyday on Wednesday during the school week, and I go to mass on Sunday almost every week. So as you can see there are numerous ways that you can shpw your love and walk humbly with God. So, knowing that poverty is around us, especially in Hillsborough County, what are your feelings towards poverty, and what will you do to make a difference?

__ Works Cited: __

"The Basics about Metropolitan Ministries." //Metropolitan Ministries//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. .  "Catholic Campaign for Human Development." //Catholic Campaign for Human Development //. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. 
 * This is a valid source because it is an organization that I have volunteered at in the past and know that all the information that they are saying is valid.
 * This is a valid source of information because this is the main website to an organization that donates to smaller organizations that are trying to benefit those around them in the best way possible for the love of God.

"Interactive Poverty Map | State and County Level Poverty Information." //Poverty USA //. CCHD, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2014. <http://www.povertyusa.org/the-state-of-poverty/poverty-map-state/>.
 * <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Published by Catholic Conference for Human Development which is a Catholic Institution that funds organizations that help the community like poverty USA.

<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Metropolitan Ministries Helps Tampa Homeless Get Educated and Employed." //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Metropolitan Ministries //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014. <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><http://www.metromin.org/services/life-skills.html>.
 * <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This is a valid source because it is an organization that I have volunteered at in the past and know that all the information that they are saying is valid.

<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Poverty in Florida." //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Poverty in Florida //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014. <http://www.flaccb.org/Commentaries/Comm983.htm>.
 * <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This is a reliable source because it is a Catholic organization that is devoted to helping others.

<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Poverty Map." //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Poverty USA //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. CCHD, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">\<http://www.povertyusa.org/the-state-of-poverty/poverty-map-county/>.
 * <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Published by Catholic Conference for Human Development which is a Catholic Institution that funds organizations that helps the community like poverty USA.

<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Poverty Tour | Watch a Video on the State of Poverty USA." //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Poverty USA //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. CCHD, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2014. <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><http://www.povertyusa.org/the-state-of-poverty/poverty-usa-tour/>.
 * <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Published by Catholic Conference for Human Development which is a Catholic Institution that funds organizations that helps the community like poverty USA.

<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Two Feet of Love in Action." //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Two Feet of Love in Action //<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. CCHD, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2014. <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/two-feet-of-love-in-action.cfm>.
 * <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Published by Catholic Conference for Human Development which is a Catholic Institution that funds organizations that helps the community like poverty USA.