Reverend Kibbie Laird is doing what she can to ease the pain.
On a recent afternoon at the First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan, Laird talked to the congregation's youngest members about inequality in their own backyard. While discussing donations for a poor family living in a nearby shelter, she recalled, they broke into laughter when she mentioned their most urgent need: undershirts and socks.
"I asked them, 'What would you do if all you had were the clothes on your back?'" she said. "You wouldn't want another pair of Uggs, you'd want another pair of underwear. They need to understand how important this is."