By Joy Lynn Clark 3/9/2016 When I moved to the suburbs,  I realized that I just couldn’t afford to buy food.  I swear food is much more expensive in the burbs.  Anyhow, I had my rent, phone, gas and car.  Food was just killing me. A friend of mine told me about a local food pantry.  I felt weird about it at first like, am I taking food from someone who really needs it?  However, I looked at my child and had to accept that I am someone who really needs it. The food pantry was run by the local church.  We got canned goods, and even some meat.  The…

By Joy Lynn Clark 1/23/2016 Chicago, IL The State of Illinois still has no budget.  Chicago Public Schools are threatening layoffs.  There’s talk of cutting pensions . . . yada yada yada. Obviously, all of this truly sucks. When I first moved to Chicago, I enrolled my son in public school.  I am very low income.  I had to provide some information but, the school fee was waived.  I was floored. Let me repeat, I am low-income (I am probably in the bottom 10% ).  However, in the school district I came from that did not save me from the $290.00 school fee at all whatsoever.  And it hurt –…