Poverty in America
The problem of social inequality is expected to loom large in President Barack Obama's 2014 State of the Union address as millions of Americans are having a hard time making ends meet.
Homeless in Los Angeles
Impoverishment in the world's largest economy remains far from being eradicated 50 years after President Lyndon Johnson declared a war on poverty in America in his first State of the Union address on January 8, 1964.
City-dwellers without food
Hunger is caused by poverty. According to a study by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, New York City's homeless population increased in 2013. Only Los Angeles had a larger percentage increase than New York among the country's large cities.
Soup kitchen comfort
Emergency food assistance is in great demand: The Food Bank for New York City provides some 400,000 free meals per day throughout the city.
Trying times
According to a US Census Bureau report, nearly one in three Americans experienced poverty for at least two months during the global recession between 2009 and 2011.
Troubling signs in 2013
Often, people have jobs but still can't make ends meet. They are often called the working poor. In the US, the national minimum wage is $7.25 (5.30 euros). A 2013 Gallup poll showed that 20 percent of American adults struggled to buy enough food at some point during the year.
A special treat
This coupon for a free Thanksgiving turkey is intended to combat the dire situation facing many New Yorkers. The New York City Coalition Against Hunger says one-sixth of the city's residents lived in households last year without sufficient food to eat.
Feeding hope
The Manna Food Center in the Washington DC area hands out free monthly food packages to the needy, many of whom are families. More than 16 million children in the richest country in the world live in poverty. They represent a disproportionate share of the poor in the United States.
Skyrocketing demand for aid
Poverty affected some 47 million Americans, including 13 million children, in 2012. The country's food stamp program, in which qualifying individuals receive government subsidies for approved food items, reportedly served 26 million people before the recession - a figure that has skyrocketed since 2010.