Think and Act Anew: How Poverty in America Affects Us All and What We Can Do about It

A call to action that challenges government, business, and individuals to reexamine poverty in America and to devise new, sustainable solutions. In Think and Act Anew, Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, asserts that poverty in America can be reduced or eliminated only if we take a fresh look at "the poor" and understand that there are as many causes of poverty as there are people. Looking at the lives of the millions of people who rely on Catholic Charities agencies for their basic needs, like housing, food, and healthcare, Snyder shows how the recent economic meltdown has affected Americans from every walk of life. Think and Act Anew also includes portraits of those who have fallen into poverty, such as a Tucson family that lost everything in the mortgage crisis and a life-long construction worker from Little Rock now on food stamps. It also includes examples of individuals, organizations, and local governments who are taking a new look at how we serve the poor, such as a celebrity chef in Washington, D.C., who uses his talents to feed the hungry and to train them for jobs in the food industry, and innovative programs like the Harlem Children's Zone. Snyder draws on Catholic social teaching-particularly Pope Benedict XVI's Caritas in Veritate-that declares the inherent dignity of all human beings and maintains that charity and justice are the core principles on which economic decisions must be based. Book jacket.