A report released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau found that 46.2 million Americans (15.1% of the population) were living in poverty in 2010. This is the highest number ever recorded by the Bureau, illustrating the deep impact of the recession on American families. Children have higher rates of poverty than any other age group, and the poverty rate among children rose to 22% in 2010. 
The report also showed that safety net programs such as SNAP (food stamps) and unemployment insurance are essential for protecting families from the effects of poverty. SNAP alone lifted 3.9 million people, including 1.7 million children, out of poverty in 2010. As Dr. Mariana Chilton told the Philadelphia Inquirer, these safety net programs are "vital to the social and economic fabric of our country."
These numbers are even more striking when reminded of the struggles that every family living in poverty faces. Jennifer Markee, a mother of 5 from Philadelphia living below the poverty line, implores Inquirer readers to "Walk a day in my shoes. Then you'd understand."
