May 21. 2008
Œl|C JJurtlanb ©bseruer
Page B2
H ealth MATTERS
Poor Families Scramble as Resources Shrink
relies heavily on her $312 m onthly
allotm ent o f food stam p s— aration
ad justed ju st once a year, in O cto­
ber.
This is w hat the skyrocketing
cost o f food looks like at street
(A P) - D anielle Brown stands level: Poor people w hose food
outside a C hicago m arket at m id­ stam ps d o n 't buy as m uch as they
night for her first chance to buy once did rushing into a store in the
groceries since her food stam ps ran dead o f night, filling shopping carts
with cereal, eggs and milk so their
out nearly tw o w eeks ago.
For days. Brown said, she has kids can w ake up on the first day of
been turning cans o f “w hatever we the m onth to a decent meal.
“People w ith incomes below the
got in the cabinet" into breakfast,
lunch and dinner for her children, poverty threshold are in dire straits
because not only are food prices
ages I and 3.
"A in ’t got no food left, the kids increasing but the food stamps they
are probably hungry," said Brow n, are receiving have not increased,”
a 23-year-old single m other w ho said Dr. John Cook, an associate
Food Stamps
don’t cover
rising costs
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Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning
Residential & Commercial Services
8
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$45.00
Minimum Service CHG.
Carpet Cleaning
2 Cleaning Areas nr more
$30.00 Each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: ! small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (on/v)
$40.00
(Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area • Hallway Extra)
Additional $ 10.(X)
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning
Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment
Spot & Stain Removal Service
Scotchguard Protection
poor.
Start with milk. Betw een March
2(X)7 and this year, a gallon o f milk
jum ped from ju st o ver $3 a gallon to
nearly $3.80, according to the Bu­
reau o f Labor Statistics. During the
sam e period, eggs clim bed from
about $ 1.60 adozen to $2.20. Bread,
chicken and tom atoes are all more
expensive than last year.
A nd ju st getting to the store is a
lot m ore expensive. Since O ctober,
the cost o f gas has shot up nation­
ally from $2.70 a gallon to $3.62,
according to the Lundberg Survey,
a petroleum m arket research firm.
D iane D oherty, executive direc­
tor o f the Illinois H ungerC oalition,
said sh e’s seeing people more fran­
tic for food than ever.
"T he level o f desperation is just
frightening,” she said. “ People are
calling, saying they have no idea
w hat they are going to do.”
But even as dem and is rising,
m any food p an tries nationw ide
have been forced to cut back on the
am ount o f food given to individual
fam ilies because higher fuel costs
and com m odity prices have sliced
into private donations to the pan-
tries.
Lead Hazard Tests Now Available
Free kits raise
awareness
Stairs (12-16 stairs)
$25,00
(With Other Services) •
Heavily Soiled Area:
South Side.
professor at Boston U niversity’s
medical school w ho has studied
the food stam p program , particu­
larly how it affects children.
People like Brow n w ait for the
stroke o f midnight, when one month
gives way to another and brings a
new allotm ent o f food stamps.
Dennis Kladis began opening
h i s fam i I y ow ned O ne Stop Food &
Liquors once a m onth at m idnight
nine m onths ago to give desperate
fam ilies a chance to buy food as
soon as possible.
As prices rise, the num ber of
A m ericans relying on food stam ps
has also clim bed by 6 . 1 percent in
the past year, increasing from 2 6 .1
million in February 2007 to 27.7 m il­
lion in February this year. The sput­
tering econom y, persistent unem ­
ploym ent and the m ortgage crisis
have all contributed to the increase.
T he A griculture D epartm ent ex ­
pects the overall num ber o f partici­
pants to reach 28 m illion next year.
For Lynda W heeler, w ho re­
ceives $281 in food stam ps each
m onth, the rhythm o f life has been
one o f shopping for food, running
out o f food and then turning to
churches, food pantries and friends
“ I’m telling you, by the end of for help. And all the while, she is
the m onth th ey ’re ju st dying to get doing things like cutting milk with
back to the first,” said Kladis, who w ater to m ake it last a bit longer.
“You get it on the first and it runs
has w atched other stores follow his
out
by the 14th and 15th,” said
lead. "O bviously, they are strug­
W heeler, a single mom who brought
gling to get through the m onth.”
Jean Daniel, a spokesw om an for her 14-year-old son and 2-year-old
the A griculture D epartm ent, which daughter shopping at midnight with
runs the food-stam p program , said the Link card, the Illinois version o f
there is only so m uch the aid can do. food stamps.
The consum er price index for
“ Food stam ps were designed to
be a supplem ent to the food bud­ food rose 5 percent last year, the
get,” she said. They "w ere never highest gain in nearly tw o decades.
intended to be the entire budget.” It is especially grim new s for the
In order to raise aw areness about
the danger posed by lead in older
hom es, the Portland R egional Lead
Hazard Control Program is offering
free lead dust w ipe kits to house­
holds throughout the Portland area.
T h e free kit can be o rd ered
o n lin e at p d c .u s/le a d h a z a rd or
p ic k e d up at p a r t i c i p a t i n g
c h ild re n 's retail and resale shops.
M any hom es in the Portland re­
gion built p riorto 1978 may contain
lead-based paint. W hen lead-based
paint is disturbed through rem od­
eling, daily w ear and tear on doors,
w indow s and other painted sur­
faces, or deteriorated by age, it cre­
ates dust. It is this dust that can
poison children.
“ Lead in h o u seh o ld d u st is the
prim ary so u rce o f lead p o iso n in g
in ch ild ren . T estin g y o u r hom e is
the first step in p rev en tin g lead
p o i s o n i n g , ” a d v i s e s S a ra h
G o u rd e, P D C ’s L ead P rogram
C o o rd in ato r.
E ven a sm all am o u n t o f dust
can be en o u g h to harm a child.
L ead can cau se p erm an en t le arn ­
ing d isa b ilities, b eh av io ral p ro b ­
lem s, and, at very high levels,
se izu res, co m a and ev en d eath . It
is im p o rtan t to h av e c h ild re n 's
b lood lead tested at age on e and
tw o sin ce lead p o iso n in g does
not alw ay s show sym ptom s.
In ad d itio n to the free lead
h az ard -test kits, g ran ts o f up to
$ 1 0 ,0 0 0 to red u ce lead h azard s in
o ld e r h om es are av ailab le. T o
q u alify , h o u se h o ld incom e m ust
be at o r b elow 80 p ercen t o f the
a r e a m e d ia n f a m ily in c o m e
($ 5 4 ,3 0 0 for a fam ily o f fo u r); a
ch ild u n d er age six o r som eone
p reg n an t m ust resid e in the hom e
an d the p ro p erty m ust be built
p r io rto 1978.
For m ore in fo rm atio n about e i­
th er the free te st k its o r the grant
p ro g ram visit p d c.u s/lead h a za rd
o rca ll 503-823-3400.
UPHOLSTERY CLEANING
Sofa
Loveseat
Sectional
Chair or Recliner
Throw Pillows
(With Other Services)
$79.(X)
$59.00
$ 109 - $ 139
$35 - $49
$5.00
Mental Health Careers Advanced
f
%
See Flyers for Additional Prices
Call For Appointment
(503) 281-3949
i
T he M ental H ealth and H um an
S ervice p rogram at M t. H ood C o m ­
m unity C o lleg e is now accep tin g
ap p licatio n s for fall term . T he p ro ­
gram is lim ited to 4 0 students.
G rad u ates rep o rt th eir ed u catio n
p rep ares them to step in to w e ll­
p aying po sitio n s in co m m u n ity c o r­
rectio n s, w o rk in g w ith the eld erly ,
d isa b le d and tro u b led y o u th /ch il-
d ren o r p erso n s w ith m ental illness.
T he tw o -y ea r d eg re e program is
also a g reat startin g p o in t for a four-
y ear b a c h e lo r's d eg ree as cre d its
easily tran sfe r to several u n iv e rsi­
ties.
F or m ore in fo rm atio n about the
p rogram and how to apply, visit
m h c c .e d u /p a g e s/1 2 2 8 .a sp o r call
Leslie A llen at 503-491 - 7 178.
Walgreens Free Clinic
A traveling education and health screening clinic on wheels
will arrive at the W algreens at 6 1 16N.E. M artin Luther King Jr.
BI vd. and A insw orth Street T hursday, M ay 22 offering six free
health screenings valued at $115.
The health tests are part o f the W algreens T ake C are Health
T our making stops across the country. The procedures will
take about 20 minutes.
The custom ized clinic will be open to the public betw een 11
a.m. and 5 p.m. No appointm ents are necessary.
C hildbirth Preparation - Fri­
days, beginning M ay 30, from 7
to 9 p.m., the four-week series to
help first-tim e parents prepare
for a m ore com fortable labor and delivery with lec­
tures, practice and discussions; $85 per coilple. To
register, call 503-574-6595.
support, coping skills, behav­
ior m odification, m edication,
patches, everything needed to
stop sm oking: $225 fee. To reg­
ister, call 503-574-6595.
H ealth W atch
Ready or N o t? -T h u rsd a y . May 2 8 ,fro m 6 :3 0 to 8 :3 0
p.m.. learn how to prepare your family for a major
disaster. The class is free. To register, call 503-335-3500.
SUPER
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■
Cancer Survivors D ay —Saturday, June I fro m 2 to 4
p.m., at Legacy Good Samaritan H ospital’s Building
Three, Lower Level, cancer survivors and their fami I ies,
friends and care providers will com e together to cel­
ebrate life and unveil the new American Cancer Society
Resource Center. This free event is open to the public.
To register, cal1503-335-3500.
C hildbirth Preparation C lass — M ondays starting
June 2, from 7 to 9 p.m., this four-w eek class series
helps first-tim e parents prepare for a m ore com fort­
able labor and delivery; $85 per couple. T o register,
call 503-574-6595.
A rthritis D isco v eries—T uesday, June 3 from 10:30
to 11:30 a.m. the O asis C enter at M acy 's 4th Floor,
dow ntow n; $5 fee. For more inform ation, call 503-
241-3059.
Infant M assage - W ednesdays, beginning June 4,
from 6:45 to 8 p.m., this four-w eek class teaches the
rhythm ic m assage strokes designed to relax your
baby (up to 6 m onths) and you; $45 per couple and
baby. T o register, call 503-574-6595.
Breaking the C ycle M en ’s C o n f e r e n c e - Saturday,
June 7, from 8 a.m. to 4 p .m ., Calvary Christian Center.
126 N.E. A lberta St., will host the w orkshop for men
o f all ages to discuss health, nutrition, addiction,
com m unication and other issues facing men today.
T o register, cal1503-422-8573.
Infant C PR - M onday, June 9 from 6 to 8 p.m ., for
fam ilies with infants 1-12 months, teaching how to
perform rescue breathing, CPR and choking m aneu­
vers. T his is a non-certifying class; $34 fee per
person. T o reg ister.call 503-574-6595.
Sm oking C essation -- M ondays, beginning June 9,
from 7 to 8:30 p.m.. this 11 -week series will provide
C aregiver R esource Fair - Saturday. Jurfe 14 from
12:30 to 4 p.m. at the Legacy Em anuel Hospital
Lorenzen C onference C enter, the PBS docum entary
“Caring for Y our Parents” will explore the com plex
issues o f keeping an aging or disabled parent at
home. This is a free event. T o register, call 503-413-
8018.
M anaging’C hronic Hepatitis C — T hird W ednesday
o f each m onth at 5 p.m ., the inform ative session led
by a registered nurse to help m anage side effects o f
m edications and dosage preparations and adm inis­
tration: d o cto r’s referral required. T o register, call
503-251-6313.
Big B rother & Big Sisters - Saturday, June 21 from
I O to 11 a.m ., this special sibling class is for ages 3-
6, to help prepare them for their new role as a big
brother or sister. Parents m ust be present. To register,
call 503-574-6595.
M aternity W ater W orkout - H elping new moms
regain m uscle tone, strength and flexibility, all in the
support and freedom o f the water. C all 503-256-4000
for more inform ation.
Peer-to- Peer R ecovery - P eer-to-peer education
recovery is a free nine-w eek course for mental health
patients. M entors w ho are recovering from mental
illness are trained to teach coping strategies to oth­
ers. For more inform ation, call 503-228-5692.
Bereavem ent Support G roups - Free, confidential
group m eetings for those w ho have experienced the
death o f a loved one offered on various nights and
locations. For inform ation and registration, call 50.3-
215-4622.
Leg Alert Screening - C heck for peripheral arterial
disease with this safe, sim ple screening using ankle
and arm blood pressure. T he fee is $40. To schedule
an appointm ent, call 503-251-6137.
Stroke Alert S creening - Check your carotid arter­
ies with a painless ultrasound to assess your risk. Fee
$40. T o schedule a screening, call 5 0 3 -2 5 1 -6 137.