COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION, DIRECTOR BRIEF For leaders whose agencies serve low-income customers.
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Transcript COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION, DIRECTOR BRIEF For leaders whose agencies serve low-income customers.
COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION, DIRECTOR BRIEF
For leaders whose agencies serve low-income customers
Hunger
Hunger is a serious and often invisible
problem in Colorado.
The human and financial impact of our low
enrollment rate statewide is a serious
problem. Colorado has the 44th lowest
enrollment rate for Food Assistance
Hunger in your Community
Almost 1 in 7 Coloradans lived in poverty during 2012.
That includes more than 1 in 6 Colorado kids (224,000
children under the age of 18)
Nearly 1 in 6 Coloradans experienced hunger at some
point in 2012, meaning that more than 840,000 people
faced a time when there was not enough money to buy food
for their families or themselves
More than 1 in 5 Colorado households with children (22%)
reported food hardship—facing financial challenges to put
food on the table— between 2008 and 2012
More than 1 in 4 working families in Colorado do not have
enough food to meet their basic needs
Hunger in your Community
61% of older adults are not aware of programs in which
they may qualify
Nearly 1 in 7 Colorado seniors were unsure of when or
where they would get their next meal at some point in
2010
Colorado has one of the fastest growing rates of childhood
poverty in the nation. Between 2002 and 2010, the rate of
child poverty increased 86% in the state
Less than 10% of qualifying Colorado seniors are enrolled in
SNAP
Hunger Free Colorado Programs
Confidential, statewide, multi-lingual, toll-free number
Screens for all federal nutrition assistance programs
Assist with applications for food stamps (SNAP) and the Commodity
Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
Tailored referrals to private food programs including food pantries, soup
kitchens, meals on wheels, farmer’s markets, free nutrition education
classes, information on child and senior nutrition programs, etc.
WHAT CAN WE DO TOGETHER
Provide trained application assistance for your customers.
Enrolling them via CO Peak at your agency
Help your community increase their access to healthy food
Bring the Mobile Unit to your site if you can schedule customer
appointments
Provide you and your agency with talking points, posters,
checklists, and training
Provide follow up calls to customers to insure they complete the
application process and help trouble-shoot any issues
WHAT CAN WE DO TOGETHER: Partner Roles
Community-based nonprofits serving low-income populations can schedule either the Mobile Unit or Application
Assisters to come to your site to enroll your clients
–
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Saves the organization staff time and funding for emergency food
As a trusted partner, you can identify and connect us with customers in need in your community
Host an enrollment event and promote our partnership to other agencies to reach even more eligible but not
enrolled families and individuals in your neighborhood
Engage managers and line staff in identifying and supporting enrollment in SNAP via the partnership. Have the
case managers schedule appointments and support the customer in arriving to your agency. We will come to any
agency that has at least 8 confirmed applicants. Goal is to enroll 8-20 per day.
Hang posters and informational materials in your community agency, partner agencies, and businesses in your
community that serve low income individuals and families
Hunger Free Colorado Comes to YOU
Your Neighborhood Food Truck is a 40-ft RV retrofitted to connect families
to needed food resources, and enroll in SNAP. The mobile program provides
ready access to four computer bays so individuals and families can apply for
food assistance, as well as receive one-on-one guidance to complete the
application
Services include:
• Providing one-on-one help with SNAP (formerly food stamps) application process
• Screening for all federal nutrition programs
• Offering referrals to food pantries and free meals
• Giving information on child and senior nutrition programs
• Answering any questions about food assistance
• Connecting to other partnering agencies
How Can You Help
Impact the lives of those experiencing hunger by:
• Identify customers in your agency who are eligible but not enrolled and
support them in attending an appointment on a day we are at your agency
• Engage and inspire your staff to understand the issues of hunger and how
we can, collaboratively, make progress toward food security
• Help us navigate your community to make an even larger impact
• Find out where your neighbors/community can purchase fresh produce
with SNAP benefit
• Distribute HFC materials to clients and partnering organizations
• As federal budget cuts occur it is more and more important for agencies
like ours to look at how we can best assist our clients with a multi-service
approach
Thank You!
Thank you for helping to build awareness about nutrition
programs and increasing access to food for many
families in Colorado!
Please join us in this effort to alleviate hunger in our
state and schedule an event soon!
Questions contact Maryann Long, Food Assistance
Program Supervisor at [email protected]
or 303-228-7947