Poverty in America: ‘It’s like there is no way out’

When we asked Yahoo! readers to tell us their stories of being out of work, the goal was to put human faces on the barrage of depressing economic news we've endured for the last few years.

The AP has set out to do something similar, sending out a team of reporters to shed light on the ordinary people behind last week's news that a record number of Americans are living in poverty. Here's a typical excerpt:

At a food pantry in a Chicago suburb, a 38-year-old mother of two breaks into tears.

She and her husband have been out of work for nearly two years. Their house and car are gone. So is their foothold in the middle class and, at times, their self-esteem.

"It's like there is no way out," says Kris Fallon.

You can read the whole thing here.