$1 to $2 per day

How poor is poor. For the World Bank, the answer is $2 US per day. The bank estimates that there were 2.7 billion people, or roughly half the world's population at the time living on $2 US (or less) per day in 2001 with 1.1 billion of those people living on $1 per day or less.

According to Ask Yahoo:

• Each year over 8 million people die because they are simply too poor to stay alive.
• More than 800 million people go hungry every day.
• The gross domestic product of the poorest 48 nations is less than the wealth of the world's three richest people.
• Thirty-thousand children die every day due to hunger and treatable illnesses.
• 6 million children die every year before their fifth birthday, as a result of malnutrition.

The problem seems too large to tackle, yet it is possible to make a difference. Wanna know what we are doing about it? Check out Episcopal Relief and Development. Through ERD, King of Peace assists with food security and primary health care programs, provides farming and business training, health care services, and HIV/AIDS programs in communities where families are struggling to survive and gives people the tools to earn an income and create opportunities for their children.

You support ERD through King of Peace and the Diocese of Georgia. You may also support the group's efforts in the U.S. and around the world directly through their website http://www.er-d.org/.

In addition to other support from King of Peace and the Diocese of Georgia, our Coke machine earns 15 cents on the dollar for Episcopal Relief and Development's Clean Water Fund. The machine may earn a small contribution per Coke, but it is not an insignificant way we reach out to those in need. The sad fact is that our Coke machine alone earns more money for ERD each day than roughly 1 billion people have to live on, and on many days the soft drink profits of our one machine top the income of more than half of the earth's population.

You can start a similar project in your own home by buying Bishops Blend Coffee from ERD to support their programs through your morning cup of Joe. It's even great coffee!