I have a few friends who have lost their jobs, and many of my other friends are making less money now than they used to. Some who lost good jobs are now working at jobs for only a portion of their previous salary. Almost every business owner on main street in my town says they are struggling because people are spending less. Our silent food pantry, which had plenty of food on the shelves two years ago and even last year, now looks half empty at any given time for the past several months- donations and supplies are still coming in like before, but the number of clients is rising steadily, and it's now hard to keep enough food stocked to go around for everyone.
The effects of the recession are plain to see in my town.