I imagine that the first question the priest and Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But by the very nature of his concern, the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” 

Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love

As we put the municipal election season in the rearview mirror and look forward to the holiday season, residents in Connecticut mustn't forget about the growing segment of our population in the state who lives paycheck to paycheck, under the poverty line.

While the COVID epidemic has harmed our quality of life, the ramifications of the pandemic on the poor and less fortunate in one of the wealthiest states in the country are profound and sobering. 

According to statistics compiled by Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, the child poverty rate in Connecticut is an alarming 14 percent. The number of Black and Hispanic children 200 percent below the poverty line is 152,000, while 26 percent of single-parent families with related children live below the poverty line.

A further examination of the compiled data shines additional light on the grim reality of many families in the state. Seven percent of seniors live at or below the poverty rate, and among women, the poverty rate is 10 percent. The percentage of working families living under 200% of the poverty line is an alarming 20 percent, and the rate of residents living with food insecurity is 11.3 percent. 

The numbers don't lie: we have a poverty dilemma in Connecticut that requires our immediate attention and compassion as we enter the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. Fortunately, there are many ways neighbors can help those who are struggling to make ends meet.

In Danbury alone, groups such as the New Hope Baptist Church, the Association of Religious Communities, the Victory Christian Center Food Pantry, the Saint James Episcopal Church, the Interfaith Aids Ministry of Greater Danbury, and the Jericho Partnership have food and clothing pantries where you can donate items for people in need. There are also organizations such as New American Dream Foundation, with volunteers who work tirelessly to provide thousands of meals to people in desperate need of assistance.

It's easy to get wrapped up in the commercialism of the holiday season and overlook the fact that celebrating the holidays with adequate amounts of healthy food is not a guarantee for many residents of Connecticut. Thankfully, a number of organizations play the role of good Samaritan in the state, and it's incumbent upon people who will celebrate the holidays in comfort not to forget their friends and neighbors who do not share their good fortune.

*Statistics (Spotlight on Poverty): https://spotlightonpoverty.org/states/connecticut/.