RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- "Poverty is Everybody's Business," and the North Carolina Community Action Association recently selected V.K. Fields & Co. Public Relations agency to help spread the word about a new "Face to Face With Poverty" initiative. The campaign will inform and educate community leaders and elected officials about the disproportionately high impact of poverty throughout North Carolina and will identify solutions to prevent institutional and systemic poverty and create pathways to economic parity for citizens of the state.

Sharon Goodson, executive director of the North Carolina Community Action Association, said, "The time has come for all citizens to join together in an open dialogue regarding the impact of America's economic crisis on our families and communities." According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, North Carolina's poverty rate spiked to 17.5 percent, surpassing the official national poverty level of 15.2 percent, ranking North Carolina as the 12th highest poverty state in the nation. "In North Carolina, more than 1.6 million children, elderly, disabled and low-income individuals are impacted by poverty. That equates to 1 in 5 women, 1 in 4 children, 1 in 4 African Americans, and 1 in 3 Latinos who don't have access to adequate housing, health care, education, employment or resources to enjoy a decent living," Goodson said.

V.K. Fields & Co. is a full-service public relations and copywriting agency based in Raleigh, NC. The scope of work for this campaign includes development of a poverty whitepaper, a social media strategy, marketing communications materials, and media coaching and messaging for key NCCAA representatives.

The North Carolina Community Action Association is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that gives voice to the needs, concerns and stories of the state's disadvantaged and low-income citizens. The "Face to Face With Poverty" campaign will provide a forum for those who have been silenced by economic disparity to address legislators and community agencies on how best to alleviate impoverishment in North Carolina. For more information about NCCAA and its anti-poverty campaign, visit www.nccaa.net.

SOURCE V.K. Fields & Co.