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Columbus, OH
Nominated by: Rep. John Boehner, Rep. Deborah Pryce, and Rep.
Patrick Tiberi
The Children's Hunger Alliance (formerly known as Ohio Hunger
Task Force) has focused its efforts on the needs of low-income
children and families in reducing hunger. It has consistently
advocated for administration improvements to the Food Stamp
Program to help streamline the process and ease the red tape
that burdens eligible families when applying to the program.
In addition, the Children's Alliance undertook a project in
which they trained over 130 social service professionals to
work with low-income families on the Food Stamp application
process, thereby helping eligible families apply for and stay
enrolled in the Food Stamp Program.
Philadelphia, PA
Nominated by: Rep. Robert Brady
The Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger is currently
engaged in a unique outreach effort that utilizes existing
community and faith-based deeding programs to provide information
about Food Stamp eligibility to people seeking food. As part
of the outreach program, daily visits are made to area food
cupboards and soup kitchens to pre-screen clients potentially
eligible for food stamp benefits; to direct these clients
to they local county assistance office; and to make follow-up
encouragement contacts. The project targets the 104,000 low-income
individuals in the city of Philadelphia who are eligible but
who do not participate in the Food Stamp Program.
Seattle, WA
Nominated by: Senator Maria Cantwell
The Children's Alliance was founded 20 years ago with the
mission of improving the well-being of children. It has a
long history of effecting positive change in public policies,
priorities, and programs in Washington State and creating
trends nationwide through its exemplary work. For many years,
the Children's Alliance has worked to expand access to the
Food Stamp Program for low-income families. Its efforts have
included encouraging the Legislature and the Governor to invest
in state funds in outreach for the Food Stamp Program, and
working collaboratively with the State Department of Social
and Health Services and community agencies to insure that
outreach efforts are effective in linking needy families with
the program.
Boston, MA
Nominated by: Rep. Michael Capuano
Project Bread, which leads a vigorous year-round charitable
response to alleviate hunger in Massachusetts, is working
to solve the crisis of increased demand and stretched programs
by slowing the demand through a statewide hunger prevention
effort. This effort includes making better use of the Food
Stamp Program through streamlining the application process
for all federal nutrition programs, and by using technology
to improve access to food stamps. As a result of a pilot data
exchange among state agencies led by Project Bread, more than
43,000 households were identified as potentially eligible
for food stamps. Project Bread then successfully conducted
an outreach campaign aimed at these families. Project Bread
has also used technology to improve access to food stamps
through the website, www.gettingfoodstamps.org, which is designed
to provide clear, thorough, and up-to-date information, in
English and in Spanish, about the Food Stamp Program. Project
Bread is now going one step further by developing an online
food stamp application that will allow people to directly
submit an application to the state.
Hartford, CT
Nominated by: Rep. Rosa DeLauro
End Hunger Connecticut! is a statewide anti-hunger and food
security advocacy organization dedicated to eliminating hunger
and committed to working toward food security. EHC!'s approach
to the Food Stamp Program, using technology, outreach and
working with the Department of Social Services, allows much
greater access to those who have been or felt shut out of
the system. EHC! created and posted on the Internet a web-based
pre-screener for the Food Stamp Program (www.foodstampsct.org)
that allows for independence in assessing one's own eligibility,
and prepares the applicant to identify and obtain the correct
materials and information to take with him or her to the DSS
office. EHC! created two Advisory Boards for its food stamp
outreach which have been instrumental in opening up dialogues
on this matter. In addition, EHC! has been working with the
Connecticut Department of Corrections to do preliminary intake
for food stamps for women before they leave prison.
Dallas, TX
Nominated by: Rep. Martin Frost
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) has made significant hunger
relief efforts through the Simplified Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP), a Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS)
Program that helps eligible individuals sign up for food stamps
with a minimum amount of paperwork. To be eligible, an individual
must be over 65 years of age and receive Supplemental Security
Income (SSI). In 2003, the North Texas Food Bank accepted
TDHS's request to finish an outreach effort in the Dallas
area. The effort involved contacting approximately 9,000 eligible
individuals who had previously not responded to two TDHS mailings
that provided information on how to apply for these benefits.
The economic output of the outreach effort was significant
and the group of individuals who were successfully encouraged
to apply for their benefits qualified for approximately $26,000
per month in food stamps.
San Antonio, TX
Nominated by: Rep. Charles Gonzalez
In addition to the millions of pounds of food acquired and
distributed annually by the San Antonio Food Bank (SAFB),
the organization works diligently to provide programs that
not only solve the immediate problem of hunger, but help individuals
and families gain long-term security. In March 2002, SAFB
received the Texas Association of Community Action Agencies
(TACAA) grant for the FSEOP. Funded jointly by USDA/FNS and
the Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS), the 17-month
project was extended one month and then, because of the success
of the SAFB Education and Outreach Program, it was renewed
in September 2003 for 17 months. SAFB began the FSEOP with
the goals of heightening awareness of the Food Stamp Program
and benefits available; empowering individuals certified for
food stamps; and increasing the number of applicants each
year. Their goals and objectives had been realized by partnering
with 56 Senior Centers and 25 agencies, and by developing
programs on nutrition education, senior outreach, and supplemental
groceries for seniors, as well as food fairs which provide
for the delivery of surplus food items to collaborative sites
providing information outreach on FSP and other government
funding.
Des Moines, IA
Nominated by: Senator Tom Harkin
In recent years, the Food Security Task Force has taken the
lead in making food stamps more accessible to Iowans throughout
the state by fighting to remove the statutory and regulatory
barriers to program participation and by identifying ways
to reach underserved populations. Recently, the Iowa Food
Policy Council's Food Security Task Force led the successful
effort to conform Iowa law to the state's Temporary Assistance
to Needy Families (TANF) guidelines to exempt the value of
one motor vehicle in determining eligibility for food stamps.
As a result, low-income Iowans will not be disqualified from
food stamps for owning reliable transportation. The Food Security
Task Force has also worked with the Iowa Department of Human
Services to revise and simplify the food stamp application.
As part of this effort, it has been working to ensure "cultural
competency" in the food stamp application process. The
Iowan Food Policy Council has reviewed food stamp participation
data and determined that Iowa seniors are an underserved population
and have sought to address this problem. It has also worked
with the Iowa Department of Human Services to develop a food
stamp outreach plan and is working aggressively in partnership
with the state of Iowa to implement that plan.
Pittsburgh, PA
Nominated by Rep. Melissa A. Hart
The Food Bank conducts various education programs that address
the root causes of hunger like the Food Stamp Outreach Project.
The staff of the Food Bank work with individuals and families
who access supplemental food assistance from the Food Bank's
member agencies as a way to increase the participation of
these households in the Food Stamp program. The Food Bank
believes the use of the food assistance network should be
the last line of defense in fighting hunger and that food
stamp eligible individuals experiencing food insecurity should
access federal programs before turning to a food pantry or
soup kitchen. Activities of the Food Stamp Outreach Project
include prescreening to estimate client eligibility; application
and advocacy for individuals who have questions about policy
and procedures.
Harrisburg, PA
Nominated by Rep. Tim Holden
Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center has received Food Stamp
Outreach Grants from USDA and the PA Department of Public
Welfare. Hunger Action's approach to increasing participation
among eligible households involved two models of pre-screening
(telephone and face-to-face) and four subcontractors ( the
Community Check-UP Center of Harrisburg, the Family Health
Council of Central Pa in Camp hill, the Human Services Network
in Pittsburgh and the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against
Hunger). Over a 12-month test period the project screened
2,116 housed, referred 1,454 households for enrollment and
confirmed the enrollment of 652 households. Following the
passage of the 2002 Farm Bill, Hunger Action worked with the
DPW to implement new state administrative options to simply
and streamline the Food Stamp Program.
Elmira, NY
Nominated by Rep. Amory Houghton
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier has a tremendously successful
history in helping folks in Chemung County- reaching over
100,000 households and prescreening over 200 families for
participation in the Food Stamp Program during the first four
months of 2004. The Food Bank worked in collaboration with
community and business partners on a Nutrition Outreach and
Education Campaign focusing on rural and senior citizen residents
to determine their eligibility for the Food Stamp Program.
The Food Bank staff used a telephone interview process that
was extremely helpful to those who are homebound, and where
transportation issues are a significant impediment to accessing
the Department of Social Services.
Saginaw, MI
Nominated by Rep. Dale Kildee
Due to the outstanding outreach efforts of the Center for
Social Justice, the number of eligible participants in Michigan's
Food Stamp Program has increased dramatically. Previously
the dearth of easy access to program information and coordination
between programs allowed many eligible individuals to fall
through the cracks. Some of the activities that the group
initiated include … coordinated outreach about Food Stamps
through partnerships with Michigan State Extension, the Food
Bank Council of Michigan and its regional banks, WIC, kinship
care groups and immigrant and migrant advocates; creation
of a website that includes information and an interactive
Food Stamp eligibility calculator; the establishment of a
statewide Food Stamp Helpline which the center operates in
partnership with Michigan State University Extension serving
over 3,000 people in 2003.
Milwaukee, WI
Nominated by Rep. Jerry Kleczka
The concerted actions of the Hunger Task Force and its allied
organizations have increased participation in the Food Stamp
Program by an impressive 78% from 1999 to 2004. Working with
their State Agency, the Food Stamp application was simplifies
and shortened from 19 to 8 pages. On the local level, the
Task Force routinely accompanies applicants when they apply
for benefits. The staff has facilitated the start-up of a
grassroots organizing group Voices Against Hunger which passes
out flyers, hangs posters, and works to uphold constituents'
rights. On the federal level, the Task Force works with USDA's
regional office in Chicago about how the Food Stamp program
is operated in Wisconsin and Milwaukee County.
South Burlington, VT
Nominated by Senators Patrick Leahy and James M. Jeffords
and Rep. Bernard Sanders
This statewide anti-hunger group helped create an innovative
outreach tool … the Vermontfoodhelp.com website. The
website was created in collaboration with the state welfare
agency, the Vermont Department of Prevention, Assistance,
Transition and Health Access, the University of Vermont, and
VTCECH. The website provides easily accessible and comprehensive
information about the Food Stamp Program in Vermont. In the
first six months of operation, Vermontfoodhelp.com received
over 17,000 hits and has successfully assisted 535 households
to apply for and receive Food Stamp benefits. The outreach
efforts of VTCECH and the hundreds of organizations and advocates
across the state who have been trained to use the new site
will certainly raise the number of enrolled households in
the near future.
Houston, TX
Nominated by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
During 2003, over 700,000 people living in Harris County
(Houston) were estimated to be eligible but not participating
in the Food Stamp Program. FUUSA began addressing this problem
by: meeting people "where they are"; being respectful
and listening to community needs; offering services and information
at non-traditional times; providing information in the primary
language of those being served; and making follow-up visits.
FUUSA did a tremendous job of reaching a population with limited
resources and was recognized for its efforts by the Texas
Association of Community Action Agencies.
Salt Lake City, UT
Nominated by Rep. Jim Matheson
Utahns Against Hunger has a strong working relationship with
the State Department of Workforce Services. This is the main
reason why this advocacy group was successful in getting the
state's food stamp application shortened. UAH has been particularly
focused on outreach to Utah's non-English speaking population.
The group also coordinates food stamp outreach with emergency
food pantries throughout the state, ensuring pantry workers
understand the Food Stamp Program and how to help their clients
to access benefits. These activities help to explain why individual
food stamp participation has increased faster in Utah than
the national average over the last few years.
Fall River, MA
Nominated by Rep. James P. McGovern
The Coalition Against Poverty (CAP) has implemented a two-pronged
strategy to increase awareness of and participation in the
Food Stamp Program. First, CAP has made increased participation
in the food stamp program a major goal in their legislative
agenda. They have advocated for legislation requiring the
welfare department to notify exiting recipients of their rights
to receive food stamps exclusive of cash benefits, as wells
as for the establishment of more accessible sites that prospective
applicants can utilize to find food stamp information and
application assistance. CAP's outreach efforts included a
door-to-door campaign to inform low-income families of their
rights under the food stamp program. During the nine-month
program, CAP representatives visited public housing developments
throughout their service area to prescreen families that may
have been eligible to participate in the food stamp program,
but failed to do so because of misunderstood guidelines and
rules. These combined efforts have done much to put hunger
at the forefront of policy initiatives throughout Southeastern
Massachusetts.
New York, NY
Nominated by Rep. Jerrold Nadler
The New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) is a
recognized leader in the fight to combat hunger in the Big
Apple. Through its advocacy, policy development, and outreach
efforts, NYCCAH is leading efforts to revive participation
in the Food Stamp Program in the face of rising unemployment
and underutilization throughout the city. The Coalition has
trained workers at food pantries and soup kitchens to conduct
program outreach, yielding a 30% increase in such agencies
that conduct this type of assistance. Using media savvy, the
Coalition has also reached out to a greater majority of the
city's low-income residents, encouraging application and enrollment
in the Food Stamp Program. Through these and other programmatic
actions, the Coalition has significantly contributed to a
23% (180,000 persons) increase in food stamp participation
since January 2002.
Brooklyn, NY
Nominated by Rep. Major Owens and Senator Charles Schumer
Low-income families, especially those headed by first- or
second-generation immigrants, face a variety of hurdles when
seeking food assistance. The Crown Heights Jewish Community
Council (CHJCC) has utilized a Food Stamp Outreach grant to
dedicate time, effort, and manpower toward helping the residents
of their diverse community to access the food resources they
need. The Crown Heights community of Brooklyn has suffered
with high levels of poverty and food insecurity, but CHJCC
has made a concerted effort to engage community leaders and
elected officials in easing the food insecurity burden through
public events, newsletters, and by conducting one-on-one prescreening
interviews with potential applicants. All of these efforts
have helped to maximize Food Stamp program participation in
East New York, which has infused the local community with
federal dollars, further stimulating the local and city-wide
economies.
Phoenix, AZ
Nominated by Rep. Ed Pastor
Generating a spirit of teamwork amongst successful independent
agencies can sometimes by a difficult task, but if those agencies
are dedicated to ending hunger in their communities, teamwork
can be a seamless as an orchestra's melody. The Arizona Association
of Food Banks (AAFB), headed up by Executive Director Ginny
Hildebrand, has coordinated the work of the Arizona Hunger
Advisory Council and the Arizona Department of Economic Security
(ADES) to monitor the success of the Food Stamp Outreach Plan.
This partnership has played an indispensable role in the doubling
of Food Stamp Program participation in just two years. The
Association has also helped to enroll eligible seniors in
federal food assistance and nutrition programs in target areas
throughout the state. To make the program more accessible,
the Association developed an envelope, complete with a Food
Stamp application checklist, which helped clients gather and
carry all the documents necessary to successfully submit a
completed application. In coordination with ADES, the Association
helped to reduce application paperwork by over 60%, and a
website, the Arizona Self-Help Website, was established as
an easier way for people to predetermine eligibility for programs
that are available to help them and their families.
Wichita, KS
Nominated by Senator Pat Roberts
Interfaith Ministries coordinates a very comprehensive Campaign
to End Childhood Hunger (CTECH) in the Wichita area. The program
has helped to successfully identify needs, develop awareness,
and facilitate access to food stamps and nutrition assistance
to address hunger and malnutrition. CTECH has also developed
a network of organizations, congregations, and community activists
to fight childhood hunger. A partnership with Social and Rehabilitative
Services officials has helped to improve efficiency and effectiveness
in the delivery of hunger-fighting assistance. Most notably,
CTECH has created a client advocacy team consisting of five
people who receive federal benefits. The function and work
of the advocacy team has been very beneficial in the evaluation
of programs and insightful of the recipient experience. The
advocacy team has been an effective voice for communicating
needed changes and expressing support of programs to elected
and other government officials.
Tallahassee, FL
Nominated by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Based in Tallahassee, Florida Impact has been a dynamic force
on the state and national level in the coordination and execution
of Food Stamp outreach. Impact has worked diligently to streamline,
simplify, and adapt the Food Stamp application process to
fit the needs of various populations. After securing federal
grant assistance in 1999, Impact worked tenaciously in food
stamp outreach, highlighted by the launch of a statewide food
stamp help-line in 2000. They also secured a contract with
the Florida Department of Children and Families to convert
the state's web-based application into an in-house document
so that relevant data could be shared without reapplication.
Impact will update this data sharing to include Earned Income
Tax Credit information, starting in January 2005. Impact's
work has become a model for agencies and organizations nationwide
through USDA's replication of its "check-off" envelope
to be used in the field to help successfully identify potential
food stamp applicants.
Norfolk, VA
Nominated by Rep. Edward Schrock
By recognizing that eligible but non-participating individuals
and families stress the resources of food pantries and food
banks, the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia (FSEVA) views
food stamp outreach as a necessary component in its overall
mission to fight hunger throughout its service area. FSEVA
is the oldest foodbank in the Commonwealth of Virginia, serving
its poorest communities, including Virginia's Eastern Shore.
FSEVA has been instrumental in educating eligible, non-participating
families about the food stamp program through promotional
efforts. In conjunction with the City of Norfolk, FSEVA has
received permission to equip its most remotely-located partner
agencies (pantries) with materials to pre-screen and process
potential benefit recipients, improving program access to
Virginia's most impoverished inhabitants.
Cass, Genessee, and Kalamazoo Counties, MI
Nominated by Senator Debbie Stabenow
The Michigan Coordinated Access to Food for the Elderly (MiCAFE)
program was started in 2001 as a USDA research initiative
to test new strategies for helping elderly adults apply for
food stamps. The success of the program can be attributed
to the simple, central premise of MiCAFE, which is to simplify
and improve access to the elderly by bring the application
to them. More than sixty application assistants in three counties
use a web-based software program to help seniors complete
food stamp applications while never having to leave their
senior centers, housing complexes, churches, and community
service agencies. In one county, even homebound seniors are
visited by these assistants to provide nutrition education
and application help. The MiCAFE program has proven very effective
in bridging the gap between eligible seniors and those who
apply and receive valuable food stamp benefits.
Albany, NY
Nominated by Rep. John E. Sweeney
Advocacy is an important tool in the improvement of access
to the Food Stamp Program. The Nutrition Consortium of New
York State is a respected advocating force in the statewide
delivery of food assistance to New York's needy populations.
Under the guiding force of Edie Mesick, the Consortium has
used its advocating power to lobby New York state legislators
to simplify the application process, improve immigrant participation
rates, and eliminate access barriers to the Food Stamp program.
The Consortium led a successful public information program
which included a detailed county-by-county analysis of food
stamp program participation and impact on local economies.
By calling attention to the numbers, the Consortium has helped
to influence local officials to coordinate with state agencies
to mobilize resources aimed at improving food assistance to
families throughout the state.
Los Angeles, CA
Nominated by Rep. Diane Watson
As the second largest agency of its kind in the United States,
the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank knows a thing or two about
delivering food assistance to low-income and impoverished
populations. Recognizing the existing barriers that residents
of the greater Los Angeles area face in applying for federal
benefits, the Foodbank has partnered with the Los Angeles
County government and 100 Foodbank agencies to prescreen and
help people apply for food stamps. Under a grant from USDA,
a team of outreach workers using customized software screened
food pantry clients to target eligible but non-participating
families for application assistance. The Foodbank parlayed
the continued outreach effort into a forum that is utilized
by local, state, and national officials as a resource for
recommendations to improve the food stamp program at the county,
state, and federal level.
Return to Press Release
Contact Information:
Ed Cooney or
Amera Bilal
Congressional Hunger Center
229 ½ Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20003
Phone: (202) 547-7022
Fax: (202) 547-7575
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