Poverty

West Africans could face another food crisis in 2012, but Oxfam International is insisting it is avoidable.

Calls to increase aid are underway, as experts warn millions of adults and children risk facing starvation.

"The situation is looking extremely worrying for millions of people in West Africa, but the worst is not yet inevitable," Mamadou Biteye of Oxfam Humanitarian Lead in West Africa said in a press release Monday. more >>

San Francisco is preparing to make history by raising the minimum wage above $10.

According to reports, the raise to $10.24 is set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2012. Currently the minimum wage, set by the Department of Labor, is $7.25. It has been at that rate since 2009.

San Francisco passed a proposition in 2003 stating that pay rates must go up every year. While many people are pleased with the raise, some small businesses are being hit hard by being required to pay employees more. more >>

Imagine having to save a half a pack of crackers from the vending machine because you were worried your brother might not have food for dinner.

That was the case for one young boy in Virginia. Last year, his teacher discovered that many children in his school were going hungry on the weekends and weeknights, and they didn’t know where their next meal would come from.

She came to this realization, by accident, through an award she gave out each week to a student in her class for doing something special. The student who was picked got to choose a snack out of the vending machine as their reward. more >>

Over 400 children from economically disadvantaged families in New Jersey will find a new present under the tree this Christmas.

On Dec. 10, the New Brunswick- based Liquid Church, along with 15 local social service organizations, is hosting a community outreach called Operation Christmas Angel.

“With the economy the way it is, people are hurting,” Lead Pastor Tim Lucas told The Christian Post. He said his church came up with the idea for OCA as a way to “show Christ’s love in a practical way.” more >>

WASHINGTON – The countdown towards AIDS' extinction began this morning in honor of the 24th annual World AIDS Day.

President Obama and a panel of experts, celebrities and social leaders promised that their combined efforts could start the ending of the disease's global epidemic as early as 2015. The group's bold statement is based on the idea that before the next decade, an entire generation of births could occur without new infections through prevention efforts.

"Today we come together across countries, cultures and faiths to combat the pandemic of AIDS," Obama told a packed Jack Morton Auditorium on George Washington University's campus. "Back in those early days, few could imagine we'd talk of the possibility of an AIDS-free world. Make no mistake – we're going to win this fight." more >>

As Occupy Movements across the country experience police raids and evictions from public parks, Christians remain divided in their support of the movement.

Donna Schaper, senior minister for Judson Memorial Church in New York City, is supporting the cause, saying the “most important” appeal of the Occupy Wall Street movement is “the urgency it has for economic justice.”

“We are going to stay very involved; I think the movement is just beginning,” Schaper, who talked of possibly having a Christmas Eve service at Zuccotti Park, told The Christian Post. more >>