Live on $2 a Day
This may be surprising, but within a five mile radius of your home or work, 16% of all people and 20% of all children are living at or below the federal poverty level. In fact, 1 out of every 2 families we serve in Hampton Roads are living on just $2 a day. (Compare this to the national average of $68 per day).
This puts children in your community at significant risk of foster care involvement, poorer health, increased risk of trafficking, and criminal activity. Poverty-related issues contribute to 76% of foster care entries. Imagine if we could alleviate these poverty-related issues? How might the future for that child look different? What impact could it have on that family? How would our community benefit for 76% fewer families involved with foster care?
We invite you to read the case study and consider the following: What do I notice? What do I feel? What can I learn? How can I help?
To help bring attention to this issue, we encourage you to experience it for yourself – to live on just $2 a day for a day, a week, or more – and to invite others to support you in the process.
Create a fundraiser, share it with your circles, and help us improve the outcomes for hundreds of children right in your own backyard.
The Story
Gemma is a single mom to two beautiful children and is pregnant with Baby Number Three!
Gemma spent time in the foster care system and is a survivor of human trafficking. She is trying to build a life for her family but was so isolated by her captor that she has no one to turn to.
Social Services referred her to our organization for diapers and community support. Gemma has a job that pays minimum wage. She is studying for the GED in hopes of getting a better job.
Gemma brings home $1,700 every month and spends $1,376 on low-income housing and utilities. She does receive daycare assistance, but cannot send her children to daycare unless they have diapers. She spends an additional $268 each month to purchase diapers (a necessity so her children can attend daycare and she can work) and to buy gas for her not-always-reliable car.
This leaves her with just $2 a day to buy food to feed her family. She admits to skipping meals so her children can eat and have clean diapers.
Gemma and her children, like so many, live on just $2 a day.
The Challenge
Put yourself in Gemma's shoes for a day (or more). Give yourself just $2 today for whatever it is you find youself needing (a snack, gas in the car, etc.). Repeat this for as many days as you'd like.
We encourage you to invite others into the experience as well.
We've made it easy for you to share this with your friends help raise awareness and critical funding to serve families like Gemma's. Because of the generosity of fellow supporters, Gemma and her children are stable and safely together tonight!
Let's ensure others have the same opportunity!