Something we'd all be thankful for: ending poverty

For many, there'll be no horn of plenty this Thanksgiving, or any day for that matter. Families--more than we care to admit, and often for generations--have been mired in the muck that is poverty and find it nearly impossible to get out. The Minnesota Legislature's Commission to End Poverty by 2020, a bipartisan group of 18 senators and representatives, is hoping to find the means to put an end to poverty once and for all.

The commission is holding a public forum in Alexandria on Nov. 30, 1-3 pm at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 411 Hawthorne Street. It's an opportunity for residents of Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stevens and Traverse counties to share their personal experiences with living in poverty and its effects on their families and local communities.

The forum will also give legislators an insight into whether citizens have the will to support significant new efforts necessary to eliminate poverty in Minnesota by the year 2020. The commission is required to make recommendations to the full legislature by Dec. 15, 2008.

The forum is sponsored by West Central MN Communities Action, Inc. and the United Way of Douglas & Pope Counties.