EHC!’s good friend Charlie Chatterton, professor at Eastern Connecticut State University and co-chair of Connecticut Action for Healthy Kids, sent this e-mail out to his friends and colleagues last week. We wanted to post it because it is inspiring. We can all do something to beat back poverty – education, outreach, advocacy – good work takes on many forms.
Hi. If all goes well and God willingly, I’ll be participating in my 25th Marathon (13 to goJ to 38 marathons) since September 2006 this Sunday in Hyannis, MA on Cape Cod as part of my Taking Strides to Brake the Cycle of Poverty. The weather is predicted to be in the low 40s with light rain. I hope it is not too windy. I am constantly being reminded of the importance of attempting to raise awareness on the issues surrounding poverty and the need for systemic, sustainable change whether it was from my recent visit to New Orleans (which has made great progress in so many areas, but other areas of the city are not that different than two years ago) and or the constant news reports and budget cuts that often impact individuals living in poverty or on the edge of it in very significant ways. I must admit that it is getting more challenging to mentally prepare for each of these marathons, but I try to remember myself of the importance of this work and that there are individuals living in poverty who are struggling each day, possibly working multiple jobs, and trying to make a better life for their family. It really gets you to think about the dignity of each person as my fatigue is temporary and it is followed by a good meal and a shower, not having to make a choice between going to the doctor, paying rent, or putting food on your table for your kids. I finally finished a book on my trip to New Orleans titled “The Moral measure of the Economy,” by Chuck Collins and Mary Wright that I really enjoyed and really made me think about things related to the poverty condition in the US and the world. I would encourage all of you to take a look at the book if you get the chance. Thank you again for all of your support and have a good weekend!
Charlie
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Educating the Spanish Community about SNAP
Each day I come into the EHC! office ready to face hunger in the Latino community. When I walk through the door I already have folks waiting patiently to be educated on how to obtain and/or keep their SNAP benefits.
It’s not easy to see how clueless people are about the SNAP (food stamp) program. If they only knew how simple it can be to get their benefits. Unfortunately, the client and the system can make it very, very hard for everyone.
I mean, think about! All you have to do is to fill out an application and bring it to the Department of Social Services (DSS) with all the necessary signed documents as proof. Once your application is complete all you have to do is wait for a response within 1 to 4 weeks- depending on your situation.
This should be a smooth process with no complications. It sounds beautiful but, the reality is, it doesn’t work that way. WHY? Because people just don’t understand the program. Now this is where I come in, my job is all about educating the clients.
At this moment I am the only Spanish speaking outreach worker in the office, so you can imagine how crazy it can get in here daily!
We also have the help of a very well known and respected person in the Latino community named Carlos. When he sees or hears that a person is struggling to put food on the table he tells them about SNAP and EHC!’s services. Believe it or not that person will come to EHC! the very next day.
Carlos works hard to make this a positive experience for the client and I make sure that the client understands how to get and maintain his/her food stamps. How’s it going so far, you ask? Well I strongly believe the people we’ve helped so far really understand the program now.
For example: Recently, a woman was having a conversation with the person next to her while waiting to see her doctor. The woman mentioned how she couldn’t believe her benefits had lowered. Her neighbor told her to talk to Carlos, who then handed her a flyer and told her to visit our office.
The woman came right over and waited for me to resolve her issue. I prescreened her and realized that on her last redetermination she forgot to check off the fact that she paid extra in her rent for using an air conditioner. I called her worker at DSS and faxed him the landlord’s letter which increased her benefits from $14 to $146 per month.
This is a perfect example of how and why successful outreach really works—and it happens every day!
It’s not easy to see how clueless people are about the SNAP (food stamp) program. If they only knew how simple it can be to get their benefits. Unfortunately, the client and the system can make it very, very hard for everyone.
I mean, think about! All you have to do is to fill out an application and bring it to the Department of Social Services (DSS) with all the necessary signed documents as proof. Once your application is complete all you have to do is wait for a response within 1 to 4 weeks- depending on your situation.
This should be a smooth process with no complications. It sounds beautiful but, the reality is, it doesn’t work that way. WHY? Because people just don’t understand the program. Now this is where I come in, my job is all about educating the clients.
At this moment I am the only Spanish speaking outreach worker in the office, so you can imagine how crazy it can get in here daily!
We also have the help of a very well known and respected person in the Latino community named Carlos. When he sees or hears that a person is struggling to put food on the table he tells them about SNAP and EHC!’s services. Believe it or not that person will come to EHC! the very next day.
Carlos works hard to make this a positive experience for the client and I make sure that the client understands how to get and maintain his/her food stamps. How’s it going so far, you ask? Well I strongly believe the people we’ve helped so far really understand the program now.
For example: Recently, a woman was having a conversation with the person next to her while waiting to see her doctor. The woman mentioned how she couldn’t believe her benefits had lowered. Her neighbor told her to talk to Carlos, who then handed her a flyer and told her to visit our office.
The woman came right over and waited for me to resolve her issue. I prescreened her and realized that on her last redetermination she forgot to check off the fact that she paid extra in her rent for using an air conditioner. I called her worker at DSS and faxed him the landlord’s letter which increased her benefits from $14 to $146 per month.
This is a perfect example of how and why successful outreach really works—and it happens every day!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
New London Food Pantry 2008
The holidays are over and if you happen to be in the business of eliminating hunger, so are the easy times.
As a board member and officer of our local food coalition, I get to see the local pantry and community meal center up close and personal. (We don’t call it a “soup kitchen” anymore; there’s a whole lot more than soup being served these days.)
It seems that as long as the Yule log is burning, people just about trip over themselves to donate food and cash. It’s as if they just heard that people are hungry.
Once things get back to normal though, so does the giving. Not to say that people don’t care, but they just don’t seem to see the hunger problem with the same intensity that they do at holiday time.
I think part of the problem is the press. Both the media attention and the lack of attention contribute to cycle. During the holidays and in the midst of disasters, there’s no end to the front page stories of hungry people. The local papers devote pages and pages to the subject. In my city of New London, The Day published no less than three major articles, countless photos and several columns describing the problem and local efforts to help.
But now, not a single word let alone a picture. Did I miss something? Has hunger been eliminated as a social problem?
It’s as if all those photos of well-stocked pantry shelves and fat turkeys being carved have convinced folks that the need is taken care of. Not so.
People need help year round and lately with economy suffering, more and more families are feeling the pinch. Let’s try to remember that people need access to food every day, not just on holidays. Help get the word out. Let your local media know that hunger doesn’t take a holiday.
PTC
As a board member and officer of our local food coalition, I get to see the local pantry and community meal center up close and personal. (We don’t call it a “soup kitchen” anymore; there’s a whole lot more than soup being served these days.)
It seems that as long as the Yule log is burning, people just about trip over themselves to donate food and cash. It’s as if they just heard that people are hungry.
Once things get back to normal though, so does the giving. Not to say that people don’t care, but they just don’t seem to see the hunger problem with the same intensity that they do at holiday time.
I think part of the problem is the press. Both the media attention and the lack of attention contribute to cycle. During the holidays and in the midst of disasters, there’s no end to the front page stories of hungry people. The local papers devote pages and pages to the subject. In my city of New London, The Day published no less than three major articles, countless photos and several columns describing the problem and local efforts to help.
But now, not a single word let alone a picture. Did I miss something? Has hunger been eliminated as a social problem?
It’s as if all those photos of well-stocked pantry shelves and fat turkeys being carved have convinced folks that the need is taken care of. Not so.
People need help year round and lately with economy suffering, more and more families are feeling the pinch. Let’s try to remember that people need access to food every day, not just on holidays. Help get the word out. Let your local media know that hunger doesn’t take a holiday.
PTC
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tis the Season
Yesterday, End Hunger CT! hosted its annual toy gift wrapping party. The party is held each year around this time to provide SNAP (formerly Food Stamp) clients and others in need with toys for their children for the holiday season. Toys are provided through the United Way’s "Joy of Sharing" and distributed to many different organizations throughout the state for toy give-aways. The EHC! party is held right here in the office with food, drink, music, and cheer. Parents pick out toys, books and games of their choosing with the option of having them wrapped by an EHC! staffer. This one day reminds us how people struggling with food are very often struggling with other needs, such as heat, and the holidays add one more log to the fire. Just as no one should have to go a day without food, no child should have to go a Christmas without a little something extra special.
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
-Winston Churchill
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
-Winston Churchill
Friday, September 26, 2008
Connecticut Food Bank: Feeding Connecticut Conference September 2008
Every two years the Connecticut Food Bank hosts a state conference in order to bring together all of its member food programs and organizations. CFB members include CFB staff, food pantry members, advocacy groups, and other organization designed to help feed CT residents and fight hunger in the state. Each year’s conference includes speakers, workshops, and the chance for CFB members to share information, raise awareness, and provide support for each other.
This year, in celebration of Hunger Action Month, the conference was held on September 16th at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Meriden, CT. As a University of Connecticut Dietetic Intern, I was honored to have been provided the opportunity to attend such a powerful event. This year’s guest speaker, Marlene B. Schwartz, PhD Deputy Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University, spoke to the attendees on how home, neighborhood, and school environments shape eating attitudes and behaviors, with a focus on childhood obesity.
Throughout the course of the day, those in attendance were given the opportunity to participate in their choice of three workshops. Of the extensive topic list, I chose to attend “Nutrition” presented by Judy Prager, RD, CD/N, Dietitian for New Opportunities, Inc. In this workshop tips for bargain shopping and low cost-recipe ideas were provided so that healthful, creative tips may be relayed to clients. In the “Taking Action” workshop, Lucy Nolan, Director of End Hunger CT! and Mary Ellen McGuire, CFB Development Director lead an inspirational discussion that included ideas of how to successfully advocate and approach state and local legislators in order to meet the needs of the people your program serves. The final workshop I chose to attend was “Grant Writing” in which Kate Walton, CFB Programs Director and Mary Ellen Martin, CFB Grants Coordinator provided expert advice of how to located grant funders and write an effect grant.
Even though door prizes, including tickets to meet country music artist and CFB spokesperson Phi Vassar, were awarded, the highlight of the day’s events was a video interview between Nancy Carrington, CFB Executive Director and Connecticut’s US Representative Rosa L. DeLauro. Congresswoman DeLauro provided passionate responses to questions concerning the 2008 Farm Bill, the Supplemental Food Assistance Program formally know as Food Stamps, Child Nutrition Programs, as well as global food issue and how the US is affected.
Overall, the conference proved to be a fantastic learning experience and a great opportunity to meet and talk with wonderful people all of whom share a common goal of ending hunger in the state of Connecticut.
Liz North
UCONN Dietetic Intern
This year, in celebration of Hunger Action Month, the conference was held on September 16th at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Meriden, CT. As a University of Connecticut Dietetic Intern, I was honored to have been provided the opportunity to attend such a powerful event. This year’s guest speaker, Marlene B. Schwartz, PhD Deputy Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University, spoke to the attendees on how home, neighborhood, and school environments shape eating attitudes and behaviors, with a focus on childhood obesity.
Throughout the course of the day, those in attendance were given the opportunity to participate in their choice of three workshops. Of the extensive topic list, I chose to attend “Nutrition” presented by Judy Prager, RD, CD/N, Dietitian for New Opportunities, Inc. In this workshop tips for bargain shopping and low cost-recipe ideas were provided so that healthful, creative tips may be relayed to clients. In the “Taking Action” workshop, Lucy Nolan, Director of End Hunger CT! and Mary Ellen McGuire, CFB Development Director lead an inspirational discussion that included ideas of how to successfully advocate and approach state and local legislators in order to meet the needs of the people your program serves. The final workshop I chose to attend was “Grant Writing” in which Kate Walton, CFB Programs Director and Mary Ellen Martin, CFB Grants Coordinator provided expert advice of how to located grant funders and write an effect grant.
Even though door prizes, including tickets to meet country music artist and CFB spokesperson Phi Vassar, were awarded, the highlight of the day’s events was a video interview between Nancy Carrington, CFB Executive Director and Connecticut’s US Representative Rosa L. DeLauro. Congresswoman DeLauro provided passionate responses to questions concerning the 2008 Farm Bill, the Supplemental Food Assistance Program formally know as Food Stamps, Child Nutrition Programs, as well as global food issue and how the US is affected.
Overall, the conference proved to be a fantastic learning experience and a great opportunity to meet and talk with wonderful people all of whom share a common goal of ending hunger in the state of Connecticut.
Liz North
UCONN Dietetic Intern
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Senior Shift
Anyone who works promoting participation in the Food Stamp Program is bound to see a lot of seniors. After all, a good percentage of eligible seniors don’t take advantage of the program, so targeting them is a priority. It’s pretty easy to locate and identify potential recipients through senior centers and housing sites and as an outreach worker I visit many on a regular basis.
The tough part is that thanks to the safety net provided by the combination of social security and subsidized housing, many low-income seniors only qualify for the minimum benefit. That translates into a $10.00 monthly food stamp allotment for a large percentage of them.
The usual response to $10.00 in food stamps? “Too”…too much trouble, too much paperwork, too little money.
Lately though, I’m seeing a shift. It’s nothing earthshaking, mostly a blip on the social Richter scale, but enough to be noticeable. Some seniors have come to the conclusion that at least it’s “something.” Maybe they can’t buy an awful lot more, but it could be an extra milk, eggs and bread. That “something” might just make the difference between buying some fresh fruit and vegetables this month or not. Considering the rising burden of inflation, that $10.00 might be just the “something” they need.
The good news is that the minimum benefit is scheduled to increase this October….the first time in 30 years. The new minimum: $14.00. It will also be indexed to the maximum benefit to assure future increases are in line with inflation. Now that really is “something.”
PTC
The tough part is that thanks to the safety net provided by the combination of social security and subsidized housing, many low-income seniors only qualify for the minimum benefit. That translates into a $10.00 monthly food stamp allotment for a large percentage of them.
The usual response to $10.00 in food stamps? “Too”…too much trouble, too much paperwork, too little money.
Lately though, I’m seeing a shift. It’s nothing earthshaking, mostly a blip on the social Richter scale, but enough to be noticeable. Some seniors have come to the conclusion that at least it’s “something.” Maybe they can’t buy an awful lot more, but it could be an extra milk, eggs and bread. That “something” might just make the difference between buying some fresh fruit and vegetables this month or not. Considering the rising burden of inflation, that $10.00 might be just the “something” they need.
The good news is that the minimum benefit is scheduled to increase this October….the first time in 30 years. The new minimum: $14.00. It will also be indexed to the maximum benefit to assure future increases are in line with inflation. Now that really is “something.”
PTC
Monday, August 25, 2008
Support Nutrition Education programs in CT! --Linda Drake
In my last entry, I touched on the complex issues that surround nutrition education and access to healthy affordable foods. I’d like to dig a little deeper into the importance of continued and increased funding for programs like EFNEP.
EFNEP in Connecticut only has six community-based educators located in Hartford, New Haven and Windham counties. They are dedicated and hard-working. Some of the things they teach are exploring food attitudes, shopping skills, reading labels, food safety and food preparation. EFNEP participants have fun, try new foods, learn new skills and make changes to help them feed themselves and their families better. Sometimes we work with parents and kids cooking together. In Connecticut, about 96% of EFNEP participants make at least one positive food behavior change. They even spend less on food, while buying more nutritious foods.
The problem is funding! Across the nation, EFNEP programs are limited and reach less than 2% of their potential audiences. Food Stamp Nutrition Education is also available to food stamp recipients, but it has not had the documented success that EFNEP has…yet its funding is about 5 times higher! Studies on EFNEP cost benefit have shown that for every dollar spent for EFNEP, anywhere from $3.00 to $10.00 can be saved on health care costs.
My soapbox – CT needs state funds for effective food and nutrition education for low- income families. State funds could then be used as match to apply for more federal funds for nutrition education. The amount of money that companies spend on food advertising boggles the mind – in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Yet nationally, EFNEP gets about $68 million, and Connecticut’s budget is in the same ballpark as Maine, Oregon and North and South Dakota – states with very different demographics than Connecticut! Massachusetts has more than twice the federal funds for EFNEP than we do. Representative Rosa DeLauro is a great champion for EFNEP and has helped us get increases in recent years. But still, the funding allowed for in 1969 was $92 million! Obviously, Congress doesn’t understand how hard it is to make ends meet, and how hands-on, personal food and nutrition education experiences can make a real difference. I cannot ask our legislators, at either the state or national level, for funds because I am a state employee. But you can! If you want to chat about this more, respond to this blog.
EFNEP in Connecticut only has six community-based educators located in Hartford, New Haven and Windham counties. They are dedicated and hard-working. Some of the things they teach are exploring food attitudes, shopping skills, reading labels, food safety and food preparation. EFNEP participants have fun, try new foods, learn new skills and make changes to help them feed themselves and their families better. Sometimes we work with parents and kids cooking together. In Connecticut, about 96% of EFNEP participants make at least one positive food behavior change. They even spend less on food, while buying more nutritious foods.
The problem is funding! Across the nation, EFNEP programs are limited and reach less than 2% of their potential audiences. Food Stamp Nutrition Education is also available to food stamp recipients, but it has not had the documented success that EFNEP has…yet its funding is about 5 times higher! Studies on EFNEP cost benefit have shown that for every dollar spent for EFNEP, anywhere from $3.00 to $10.00 can be saved on health care costs.
My soapbox – CT needs state funds for effective food and nutrition education for low- income families. State funds could then be used as match to apply for more federal funds for nutrition education. The amount of money that companies spend on food advertising boggles the mind – in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Yet nationally, EFNEP gets about $68 million, and Connecticut’s budget is in the same ballpark as Maine, Oregon and North and South Dakota – states with very different demographics than Connecticut! Massachusetts has more than twice the federal funds for EFNEP than we do. Representative Rosa DeLauro is a great champion for EFNEP and has helped us get increases in recent years. But still, the funding allowed for in 1969 was $92 million! Obviously, Congress doesn’t understand how hard it is to make ends meet, and how hands-on, personal food and nutrition education experiences can make a real difference. I cannot ask our legislators, at either the state or national level, for funds because I am a state employee. But you can! If you want to chat about this more, respond to this blog.
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