Inevitably, great needs that exist year-round get greater attention at Christmastime. Gov. Mike Huckabee, for example, needs money so badly that he included a cash solicitation in his Christmas cards. But before you empty your wallet entirely for the governor, you might give a look at needs mentioned by the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance.

From its website:

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• Over 17% of Arkansans live below the poverty line and can’t afford enough food to eat. That means that 1 in 6 of your neighbors struggles with making ends meet and providing enough food for their family. – ACS Survey

• Arkansas’ childhood poverty rate is 25.9% compared to the national average of 18.4%. – ACS Survey

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• 1 in 8 of our elderly citizens lives below the poverty line and has to choose between food and medicine. – ACS Survey

• Arkansas is ranked in the top 5 of most food insecure states.

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• The regions in our state with the greatest prosperity will experience the greatest increase in poverty by 2010.

How to give? Glad you asked.

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