N.C. Community Action Association Welcomes "Miss North Carolina" to Kick Off Face to Face With Poverty Initiative, March 16th

RALEIGH, N.C., March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The North Carolina Community Action Association, a network of 41 statewide service agencies, will receive a helping hand from current Miss North Carolina Hailey Best to kick off its new "Face to Face With Poverty" initiative, 11 a.m. on Friday, March 16 at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Sharon Goodson, executive director of the North Carolina Community Action Association, said, "Poverty is everybody's business. 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.

Face to Face With Poverty is launching a yearlong campaign to educate and inform community leaders and policy makers about the disproportionately high impact of poverty throughout North Carolina. The initiative will sponsor Town Hall meetings and Community Engagement events across the state to identify solutions that create pathways to economic parity for all citizens. Miss North Carolina Hailey Best was invited to participate because of her community service platform to end childhood homelessness.

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" initiative 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 North Carolina Community Action Association