Stories of deep, pervasive hunger have been among the more disturbing undercurrents of the past year. Food lines stretch for miles. About 29 million U.S. adults — nearly 14 percent of the adult population — said last month that their household sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat in the previous seven days, according to the Census Bureau’s most recent Household Pulse Survey. The shares are even higher among Blacks, Latinos and households with children.

An estimated 14 million adults living in rental housing were behind on their rent in December, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That is 1 in 5 renters. An estimated 11.8 million adults are behind on their mortgage.

“Proverbs 22:6 acknowledges binaries of the world and also guides us in considering our identifiers. While the rich are comfortable and powerful, they will lack blessings, honor, and life if they are not humble and “fear the Lord” (Proverbs 22:4). Calamity comes to those who perpetuate injustice, especially as it pertains to the poor.”

Young adults think the current eligibility standards disregard families that need the additional money.

About half of US Protestant adults don’t plan to receive the new COVID-19 vaccine, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

In reality, the degree of financial distress turns less on which party controls a statehouse or a city hall than on the number of Covid-19 cases, the kinds of businesses undergirding a state’s economy, and its tax structure.

Gov. Doug Ducey took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to announce the State of Arizona has enrolled hundreds of providers who are ready to administer a coronavirus vaccine. According to Gov. Ducey, Arizona should expect doses on the ground in mid to late December.

A range of coronavirus relief programs expire Dec. 31, and it's time to prepare for life without them.

Our voices are needed now more than ever in urging Congress to complete the bi-partisan negotiations to address COVID-19 before the holidays and congressional adjournment.

Pastors and faith leaders across the country are asked urgently to sign a letter to congressional leaders seeking for a COVID-19 relief package.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s release yesterday of a revised package to address the virus and economic slump is an important and hopeful step. While the new package scales back the House-passed Heroes bill from $3.4 trillion to $2.2 trillion, it does so in sound ways. — Robert Greenstein, CBPP

National Prayer Vigil TODAY (Tuesday, September 29) for Covid Relief for Families. Lutherans join partners in faith at 1:00p (4:00 EST) in prayer.

Potentially tens of millions of workers will lose all unemployment benefits by December. This is The COVID-19 Daily Report for September 24, 2020.

In this time of crisis, people of faith must unite to pursue the common good. IIC hopes you'll join them to live out our shared values of love, solidarity, and justice. Get started by advocating for refugee resettlement!

As evidence of profound hardship resulting from the COVID-19 health and economic crises mounts, powerful tools to mitigate suffering and bolster economic activity will be unavailable to state and local government without congressional action.

The Internal Revenue Service is making a last-ditch effort to reach 9 million Americans who are eligible for — but have not yet claimed — their CARES Act stimulus money. The tax agency said it will send out letters later this month alerting people who didn’t file federal taxes for 2018 or 2019 but meet the income criteria.