Statistics like the ones I’m sharing here make a strong case for donating to your local food bank, no matter how much you believe that families should take responsibility for themselves.
The average wage for jobs in north central Idaho is $16.23 per hour, or $22,722 a year. That falls about $5 per hour or $6,700 a year short of a what a recent report by the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations indicates is a living wage in Nez Perce, Latah, Lewis, Idaho and Clearwater counties for a family of one adult and a school age child who no longer needs full-time day care. Add more children or a younger child to the mix and the gap gets even wider. View the report here.
And that means that plenty of families where an adult works in our region are likely stretched thin to pay for groceries and other necessities. Read a recent story in the Tribune about the prevalance of hunger here.
Last 5 posts by Elaine
- Party planning on a budget: Let someone else do the hosting. - March 11th, 2010
- What Twin City Foods and Alturas Analytics tell us about what lies ahead - March 3rd, 2010
- An ounce of prevention? - March 1st, 2010
- Outstanding customer service at Masters Body Works - February 23rd, 2010
- A hypothetical about Clearwater Paper's tissue business - February 22nd, 2010
