More than one in five children in Illinois were living in poverty in 2013, according to recently released U.S. Census data. This is a statistic that comes as no surprise to people who work to help them. While economic indicators are pointing up, the number of children who suffer from poverty has held steady. According to U.S. Census data, nearly 20.7 percent of Illinois children and 22.2 percent of children across the country were living in households with income below the poverty line, set at annual household income of $23,600 for a two-parent family with two children and $18,800 for a single-parent family with two children. “It’s sad to see that 21 percent of children in Illinois live in poverty. Catholic Charities supports more than 1 million people in Cook and Lake counties each year, 20 percent (about 20,000) of those are children, which is in line with the state numbers and is staying fairly consistent in recent years,” said Kristine Kappel, director of communications for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The child poverty rate has declined slightly since 2011, when it was 21.6 percent in Illinois — it’s highest level since at least 2000 — but still well above the 17 percent child poverty rate in 2008, when the economy tanked. Chuck Ryan, business manager at Most Blessed Trinity Parish in Waukegan, said he sees it whenever he helps out at the parish’s soup kitchen, which offers a hot meal, no questions asked, every Wednesday through Saturday evening. “I’d say it’s at least 40 percent kids,” Ryan said, adding that he can’t provide more accurate figures because the parish does not collect demographic data from those who come to eat. “They’re supposed to be with their parents, but we don’t want to turn them away from a meal. And if we start asking where their parents are, other people in line will speak up and say the kids are with them.” Last year, the soup kitchen served about 30,000 meals, Ryan said. The food pantry, which does keep records about the people who use it, had provided groceries to 4,386 households between January and June of this year. Those household included 7,891 children under 18, he said. Children in the area who do not get school lunches in the summer can come to the food pantry on summer Wednesdays and get an extra bag of food, with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, as well as take part in games and activities, he said. Some children also have been able to take advantage of a bicycle refurbishing program in which volunteers get donated bikes in shape and give them away, Ryan said. However, most of the bikes go to adults, who need them to get to work. Catholic Charities also reaches out to kids who might go hungry when school isn’t in session with a mobile summer feeding program, which stops at more than 200 sites. “Children and parents often tell us it’s the only time they let their children outside during the day because they know they are going to a safe location where they will be mentored and provided a healthy meal,” Kappel said. “At our summer meals program, the children aren’t just receiving a meal — we have recreational fitness activities and nutrition aids who teach the children about making healthy choices.” The agency also operates therapy programs for children who have been victims of violence or have seen significant violence in their homes or neighborhoods, she said, and it reaches out to entire families. “We know that the needs of children often stem from additional family needs so many of our programs that are focused on children also incorporate the parents as well with education, job training, counseling and family selfsufficiency programs,” Kappel said. “Because of the depth and breadth of our programs, we are able to connect parents who may only come to us for one program to help their child with other resources to help support their children and families.” Other Catholic Charities programs that can help include the agency’s seven child development centers, its numerous after school programs, youth employment, and counseling services. “Many of our locations are in the poorest and most violent areas of our communities, places where children have nowhere else to turn,” she said.