Low-Wage America : NPR

Child Hunger: Nutritious Food Tough To Afford

July 21, 2010 • The Obama administration has pledged to end childhood hunger in the U.S. by 2015. Millions of kids cannot get enough to eat at home, and that number is going up, not down. NPR's Pam Fessler and Share our Strength founder Bill Shore talk about childhood hunger and the tug of war between nutrition and frugality.

Eating Nutritiously A Struggle When Money Is Scarce

Alex Williamson, 8, is one of 17 million children who live in U.S. households where getting enough food is a challenge. Sometimes it's hard for the poor to eat healthy because it costs more. Pam Fessler/NPR hide caption

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Pam Fessler/NPR

Eating Nutritiously A Struggle When Money Is Scarce

July 20, 2010 • The Williamsons of Carlisle, Pa., live well below the poverty line. And in the family's struggle to obtain enough food, nutrition sometimes takes a back seat to necessity. Hunger in America is complicated. It's not just getting enough food, but getting the right food -- and making the right choices.

A Daily Fight To Find Food: One Family's Story

Volunteers sorted through food last fall as they stocked shelves at the San Francisco Food Bank in California. As the U.S. continues to struggle through the recession and unemployment is at record highs, food banks are seeing an increased demand. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A Daily Fight To Find Food: One Family's Story

July 19, 2010 • President Obama has pledged to end childhood hunger by 2015. But the number of hungry children in America has been rising: In 2008, almost 17 million children lived in households where getting enough food was a challenge. The Williamson family of five in Carlisle, Pa., who make $18,000 a year, highlight this struggle.

Auto Industry In Turmoil

Skeletons Of The Auto Industry Linger Across U.S.

July 15, 2009 • In all, 21 Chrysler and General Motors plants will be closed permanently or idled over the next few years. In addition to the loss of thousands of jobs, the closures can mean a substantial drop in tax revenue for affected communities. Some cities converted the vacant auto plants into other businesses in an attempt to reinvent their economies.

Business

Charities Lament 'Cash For Clunkers' Program

July 14, 2009 • When Congress passed a new law to give people up to $4,500 to junk their old cars and buy new, more efficient ones, the auto industry cheered. But some charities say they'll be the unintended victims of this program, and so will the low-income people they try to help.

July 7, 2009 • Some economists say the additional $20 billion allocated to the federal food stamp program is a smart way to boost spending in a recession — especially with 4.8 million new people getting aid. But critics say a real economic kick-start will take a lot more money.

Hundreds Of Calif. Homeless March For Land Rights

July 2, 2009 • In Sacramento, hundreds of homeless demonstrate in hopes of securing land to sleep on. In recent months a tent city and a city shelter have closed. With laws that prohibit sleeping in public places, these individuals say it is now illegal for them to exist.

Financial Turmoil Grips World Markets

The Joy Of Work: A Disabled Man's Quest For A Job

July 2, 2009 • Michael Medina is looking for a job that will make him as happy as he once was when he worked as a janitor. He's aided by a job coach from the Arc of San Francisco, part of a national nonprofit network that helps people with developmental disabilities find general employment.

National

New York Tackles Wage Theft Against Immigrants

May 19, 2009 • Nearly half of New York City's work force is foreign-born. And labor officials say these immigrant workers are among the most exploited. Now, after what critics call years of neglect, the state's Labor Department is testing out a more aggressive approach to help them.

April 20, 2009 • Award-winning actress Alfre Woodard stars in American Violet, a new film based on the story of Regina Kelly of Hearne, Texas. Kelly, a single mother of four, was unjustly accused of dealing drugs. Woodard talks about her role and the film's importance.

Immigrants' Children: A Foot In Two Worlds

Children Of Immigrants Less Likely To Get Benefits

April 15, 2009 • Children living in immigrant families are more likely to be poor than those whose parents were born in the U.S., but these same children are far less likely to receive public benefits to which they are entitled. Advocacy groups are now trying to help these families navigate the registration process.

Media

Wisdom Watch: Veteran Journalist Beats The Odds

April 1, 2009 • Tim Giago, founder of the Native American Journalist Association, has been working as a journalist for more than three decades. Now, despite the country's recession and a shrinking print media industry, he's launching The Native Sun News, a weekly newspaper for Native Americans. Giago explains his inspiration and why he knows he will succeed.

Economy

Possible Change To Labor Law Ignites Controversy

March 11, 2009 • Two Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday that has stirred up a firestorm of debate between business interests and labor groups. The Employee Free Choice Act would amend existing labor law. If passed, workers could form a union if the majority of them sign cards requesting one.

February 18, 2009 • American pension funds have a much higher percentage of their investments in stocks than pensions in other countries, a new study finds. Consequently, U.S. pension funds allocated far smaller percentages to less-risky bonds or other fixed-income investments.

Should You Give Money To Panhandlers?

February 4, 2009 • When someone asks you for money on the street, do you give? What's the right thing to do? Patty Stonesifer, former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a Slate advice columnist, weighs in.

Should You Give Money To Panhandlers?

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Financial Turmoil Grips World Markets

Home Loan Program Benefits Rural Families

January 28, 2009 • Though the country is in the midst of a financial crisis, it's still possible to buy a house with no money down. Relatively small but growing numbers of Americans are turning to an obscure home loan program backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Your Money

Recession Etiquette: Tipping When Money Is Tight

December 16, 2008 • From barbers to bartenders, people who work for tips may find themselves with empty pockets during this economic downturn. Is it OK to leave smaller tips in a recession? And if you rely on gratuities, are you earning less for the same service?

Economy

Foreclosures Overwhelm Legal Aid Programs

November 27, 2008 • Half of all poor people seeking help to stave off foreclosures "are being turned away at the door," an official with the National Legal Aid & Defender Association estimates. The programs, which offer free or low-cost counsel, don't have enough staff to meet demand.

Race

Obama Supporters Could Help Fix Communities

November 6, 2008 • Now that Barack Obama has been elected president, there is hope that something can be done about poverty, the jobless rate and lower performing schools in minority neighborhoods. Roger Wilkins, a civil rights activist and author, and Taylor Branch, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, talk with Steve Inskeep about how multi-racial people who volunteered for Obama's campaign can help solve problems in poor communities.