This is regarding “For poorest of poor, each day’s a struggle; Judy Sirko and her family know the upscale areas of the western suburbs well from routine `treasure hunts’ through their trash” (Page 1, July 5). This profile of Sirko and her family is a poignant reminder that poverty defies stereotypes and boundaries. The story of Sirko’s daily “trash runs” in what otherwise appear to be the comfortable and affluent western suburbs and her own fall from a position of relative financial security brings into stark relief how vulnerable we all are and how wide-reaching poverty–and hunger–are.
We at the Greater Chicago Food Depository are seeing more and more people facing everyday challenges similar to Sirko’s. Our most recent survey on hunger in Cook County, released earlier this year, reported that the Food Depository serves almost a half-million people each year–and these people are not always who you think they are. We found that 22 percent of those we serve through our pantries, shelters and soup kitchens live in suburban Cook County, 25 percent of households have at least one member in poor health and one-third of our clients are children. Moreover 39 percent of the households receiving food assistance have at least one working adult.
Illustrating the faces and families behind the numbers, as the Tribune has done, is crucial to raising awareness of the pervasiveness of poverty. The story can also serve to encourage people to take action to help their less fortunate neighbors. We are gratified to see so many people responding to hunger and its underlying cause–poverty. Thousands of volunteers, donors and supporters help us provide a safety net and a ladder up for the less fortunate men, women and children in our community.
