Study on Poverty in Albany

So I guess what I'll say first is that I am sorry couldn't be with you guys for the Albany Homecoming event this past weekend, it seems like you all had so much fun. I'm jealous that I had to miss out on what seems like a rewarding experience.
After reading the study on poverty, I was definetly surprised. I was reading the posts, and like Tai said, there are many areas with poverty on Long Island, and I actually used to live in one of those areas when I lived in Brentwood for a few years. It's not that I didn't know that there were people living in such poor conditions, because I've had exposure to these sorts of facts before, but I think no matter how many times you read things like this, its going to be shocking.
The main thing in the article that affected me was how hard it is for people at minimum wage to be able to survive. I guess what I felt was angry at the fact that the salary at which the government considers a person in poverty is no where close the the salary a person needs to be making in order to have a house, food and pay for childcare.
On a lighter note, what I took out of the article as a whole was an eagerness for us to begin volunteering in communities around Albany who need our help. I can't wait for this weekend's volunteering event, and I am even more excited for when we all get our community assignments and can truly start our service.