Are you really affected?

It's Monday so I was at SOAR again. I tutor reading so I noticed more than one student come in today and get a book because they didn't have any books at home. I commented on this to the woman who I'm helping. We got into a discussion about the home lives of the children at SOAR. She mentioned how some of the parents live completely on welfare. They collect cans for smokes. She mentioned how one mother sells food stamps for crack. She mentioned how another buys the black felt boards you color with the little money she has instead of food or clothing for her children. One child has actually said his father hits him. The woman I was talking to told me how much social services in that part of Knoxville infuriates her. In this part social services says the abuse is relative. She said it was either that it happens to everyone or everywhere. It was then that I realized that even though I'd heard about this type of stuff before that it hadn't affected me before. Don't get me wrong. I'm not apathetic and I did care. The thought of this had made me sad. Actually meeting the kids though and then hearing what there lives are like made me hurt for them. If you stood one of the kids next to someone who had a good home life for the most part you wouldn't see the difference. The good news is SOAR is three days a week and the children are out of their home for about twelve hours a day. Then on Wednesday most of them are taken to church. On Fridays some spend the day with mentors. The woman I was talking to says that she has two children over on the weekends. They spend the night and go to church with her on Sunday. I just wish something could be done for these children.