Perhaps more disturbingly askew than the distribution of wealth in the United States is most Americans' perception of the actual size of the gap between the rich and poor.

While numerous government services offer a variety of support to those facing poverty in Athens County, churches and food pantries often stand at the forefront in the struggle to feed and otherwise help those in need to get through the month.

In response to The Athens NEWS' series on poverty in Athens County, several questions about the issue were sent to various local politicians and candidates for office. Below are the questions along with their full responses.

In the aftermath of U.S. Census figures released last week showing that one in seven Americans are living in poverty, local anti-poverty advocates are renewing their call on political leaders to help these Americans who are falling into despair.

A common conception of poor people these days is that many citizens are "gaming the system" for various forms of assistance, too lazy or unmotivated to pick themselves up by the bootstraps and fend for themselves.

Policy advocates across the spectrum usually agree that the only way to alleviate generational poverty is to both promote education and provide direct assistance to struggling families. But often these two necessary components find themselves competing for the same money.

When the Nelsonville Community Center began giving away clothes and food and providing resources to those who need help in this area, most of the people who showed up at the door were those director Rhonda Bentley calls the "chronically poor."

After years of seeing the need for more help for family members who have been caring for the children of their relatives, Athens County Children Services has now created a Kinship Care caseworker position to provide consultation and assistance.

Athens County truly is the “working poor” capital of Ohio. The latest available U.S. Census figures show that Athens has the highest percentage in the state of employed civilians working in service occupations and the lowest percentage of those employed in manufacturing. With service-industry jobs paying minimum wage or only slightly above it, the financial hardships of many living in this area are severe.

This is the first article in a series focused on working people facing financial hardship in Athens County.