20/20 Report on Poverty in America

"Waiting for the World to Change"--I do hope that this program was seen by many. What a sad commentary on these United States. When so many of us have more than we will ever want or need; when we waste so much; and all these children want is something to eat, a place to live, to be warm, to feel safe, to be able to go to school and learn. We have closets stacked with clothing, toys, books, stuffed animals, and these children have NOTHING. They sleep in rat-infested, bug-infested rooms, the heat from a gas stove, if they are lucky; no electricity. And when asked to name the three meals a day (breakfast/lunch/dinner), one little boy couldn't because he was lucky to get collard greens once a day. The poverty drives the younger ones to drugs, to take them, to sell them, and the few who rise above this are miracles. And one child's prayer: "Lord, thank you for this beautiful day. Bless you, and may tomorrow be better." God only knows, they didn't choose their parents or their circumstances.

Did you know that street corners in Camden, NJ are "rented" for $10,000/day to dealers? When a child has nothing and someone "recruits" him, can you see how vulnerable these lambs of God are? My God, I watched this and thought of the beautiful children in our family and thought, these children are someone's beautiful children, too, and they have no one to take care of them. Many of the parents try really hard. For all those who don't, there are many that do. And poverty knows no racial boundaries. As one woman said this week, when she, her husband, and two children fell on hard times and ended up in a homeless shelter for a couple of months: "many Americans are one paycheck away from being homeless." Jobs are lost; devastating illnesses occur; they can't meet their mortgage and utility payments; they are evicted or foreclosed and they can't get ahead because they keep falling behind.

So, when we all crawl into our warm beds tonight, I hope that we remember to thank an Almighty God for sparing us and our loved ones. As Mama used to say, "...there, but for the Grace of God, go I."

And I was struck by one child who, when asked if he could have one wish, what would it be? He thought, and thought, and said, "I don't know." Because there were so many needs and so many disappointments, he didn't even know what to ask for anymore. What a tragedy.