Charity can’t fill holes in aid to poor (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Alfred Lubrano, Inquirer Staff Writer
POSTED: Wednesday, May 1, 2013, 3:01 AM

When it comes to poverty, myths abound.

Americans believe that legions of folks are on welfare, for example, when only 10 percent of the poor receive cash assistance.

Some politicians claim that a large percentage of food-stamp recipients cheat to reap benefits, though fraud levels are quite low.

And for years, it’s been asserted that charity can replace the dollars spent by the federal government on hunger programs – despite numbers that show it’s not true.

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