M o n r o e C o u n t y :

B u i l d i n g a l o c a l

r e s p o n s e t o

h u n g e r

Did you know Columbus Public Health offers programs for health, vision & dental care for adults with limited incomes? For information about these programs and more, visit www.publichealth.columbus.gov

SEPTEMBER 2011

PantryTrak: Fully Implemented

by 1/01/2016...

Mid-Ohio Foodbank is shifting away from paper forms and is now

using PantryTrak as our primary system for capturing data on food

transactions at all food pantries & produce distributions. The system

aligns with Ohio Department of Job & Family Services and the

Ohio Association of Foodbanks compliance requirements and sim-

plifies the sign in process for Pantry/Market volunteers and shop-

pers.

The Foodbank will train and help all Food Pantries/Produce Market

hosts get connected to the system by January 1, 2016.

If your staff/volunteers don’t have computer experience;

don’t worry. We’ll provide training and onsite coaching to

assure staff/volunteers are comfortable working with the

system.

If you have issues with computer equipment or internet

connectivity, the Foodbank will send a staff person to your

site to assess the situation and help you work through

“technology roadblocks”.

Using PantryTrak not only simplifies sign in & stat tallying

processes and supports ODJFS compliance standards, it’s a simple

(free) tool that allows partners/the Foodbank to collect and review

data on the total number of people using feeding services in our

communities, so we can effectively advocate for continued and

expanded support for hunger relief programs in Ohio. The data

collected is completely private. Information is securely stored and

individual names and addresses are NOT shared.

A representative from MOF will call you in September or October

to schedule a training.

Together we are building a hunger free and healthier community!

Mid-Ohio Foodbank Community Garden

Growing Strong

Agency Spotlight

C a n a l W i n c h e s t e r C o m m u n i t y F o o d P a n t r y 3 6 0 W e s t W a t e r l o o S t r e e t , C a n a l W i n c h e s t e r , O H .

O p e n : M o n d a y , W e d n e s d a y a n d F r i d a y

P e n n y M i l l e r A d m i n i s t r a t o r

In your own words share how you got involved in the fight against hunger? The Canal Winchester COMMU-

NITY Food Pantry began more than 40 years ago as a project of the Senior High Sunday School class at David's United Church of Christ. Canal Winchester Human Services acquired the Pantry in 2012 when the need was beyond the capacity of the Church to coordinate. Since then, Human Services has been renting warehouse space to accommodate the Pantry. My personal involvement began because I was the Administer of all the Programs of Human Services at the time of the acquisition, and continue in that role today.

What keeps you motivated to do this work? Initially, I began my job as a way to find purpose after all my chil-dren had graduated high school and I was no longer needed to be a full-time volunteer and activities coordina-tor for whatever my children were involved in doing. The job has had many twists and turns during the last ten years, however the motivation has always been and continues to be because I go to bed every night knowing that in some way or another, the work that I did made a positive difference in the life of someone that day. I believe my position is more a calling than a job, and I believe that the services we provide to our community truly make life better for our neighbors in need which is personally, very gratifying.

How have partnerships helped yours and other agencies serve the community? The success of our Organiza-tion would not be possible without partnerships. Specific to the Food Pantry Program, we partner with neigh-boring food pantries (Groveport, Pickerington, Community Action in Lancaster), sharing food when we have extras and more than we can use. We participate in the Fairfield County Food Summit, meeting and sharing best practices and ideas with each other. We rely on relationships with local churches to help pay our oper-ating expenses, and we partner with a variety of organizations, groups, businesses and the schools to educate the community about the issue of hunger while working together to gather donations and distribute them to those in need.

What is one learning lesson you would like to share with other agencies? I have two 1.) Take advantage of all opportunities to participate in workshops, share ideas and learn from others, and to collaborate with those in your community that want to help you. 2.) NEVER say ‘No we do not need your help’, or ‘We do not need whatever donation you want to give.’ As long as the community believes that their contributions to your food pantry matter, they will continue to help because it makes them believe they make a positive difference too.

September is Hunger Action Month

September is Hunger Action Month, a nationwide

campaign to spread awareness about hunger in our com-

munities and an opportunity to join a movement that has

a real and lasting impact on our effort to end hunger. In

partnership with Feeding America and other member

foodbanks around the country, we are asking YOU to take action to fight

hunger in your community

This month, get a fresh perspective on hunger by getting involved in the

conversation. Make sure to CLICK HERE to visit Mid-Ohio Foodbank's Hun-

ger Action Month website and get the latest details on all that's happening dur-

ing the month of September. Be sure to check out the calendar of activities and

events as well as special HAM Agency Spotlights all month long.

CLICK HERE to see Matt’s Message for Hunger Action Month

Panera supports Hunger Action Month-

September 1-30

Join us all month long at your local Panera Bread location.

With this coupon, you will receive $2 off any "Pick Two"

meal and the Foodbank will receive a dollar.

You can also donate to the Foodbank by placing your change in the coin boxes

at the registers. Every $1 donated will provide enough food for four meals.

Spare change to make change in our community to end hunger.

Food Assistance Outreach at the Ohio Reformatory for

Women

This summer the Food Assistance Outreach team began their outreach to inmates being released from the Ohio Reformatory for Women. Tina Keller, Food Assistance Outreach Coordinator, now makes a monthly visit to ORW to meet with a group of women being released in the following 30 days. She helps them complete an application for Food Assistance benefits that will be submitted on the date of their release. In her July clinic at ORW, Tina met with 78 women and in August, 86 women. Of the 78 women, she met with in July, 23 were returning to counties within the Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s 20-county region, including Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Madison, Pickaway, Ross, and Union Counties. These women range in age from 19 to 59 and they face the daunting task of re-entry into society, finding employment and stability in their lives. On September 8, Belinda Ross began monthly outreach visits to the London Correctional Institution and the Madison Correctional Institution. In addition, Tina will soon begin monthly outreach visits to Marion Correctional Institution and North Central Correctional Complex. On August 13, the Food Assistance Outreach Team attended the annual Restored Citizen Summit which brought together community agencies and organizations and leadership who collaborate in the task of assisting offenders in the re-entry process. Annually in Ohio, approximately 20,000 inmates are released from the State’s correctional facilities so the task of re-entry is an important one across the State. Speakers included Gary Mohr, Director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Corrections, Jerry Revish of Channel 10, and Piper Kernan, author of Orange is the New Black.

New Initiative to track approval of Food Assistance

Applications

This summer, the Food Assistance Outreach Team began an initiative to track whether or

not the applications we assist with are approved. When we meet with an applicant, they

may not be able to complete the application at that time if they do not have all the necessary

verifications or are not able to complete a phone interview when they are with us. We

wanted to find out just how many of our applicants are actually ending up with benefits. In

our first month of this tracking, 55 percent of our applications were approved for benefits,

35 percent were approved pending the submission of remaining verifications. If a house-

hold has no income or their household expenses exceed their income, they may fall into this

category of expedited benefits where their benefits will be released immediately with the

agreement that they will provide any missing verifications within 30 days. If they do not

provide those missing verifications, the benefits stop. The remaining 10 percent of our

applications have a 30-day time span within which to be approved. These applicants are

those households that have income sufficient to meet their basic expenses but still qualify

for Food Assistance benefits.

A note from the Manager of the Food Assistance Outreach Team

At the end of July, the Center for Evidence-Based Practices at Case Western Reserve University issued materials linking housing stability

with creating a culture of work. It is all about change and their materials reflect the findings of peer-reviewed research on how people

change. Their materials are based on the Cycle of Change Model developed by Prochaska and DiClemente and funded by the Ohio

Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services. CLICK HERE to view their mini-poster. The county departments of Job & Family

Services must address these very issues when designing a program to help benefit recipients achieve self-sufficiency.

Each county has developed their own Work Experience Program and a sampling of these programs provides evidence of the interest in

helping participants get back to self-sufficiency. For example, in Franklin County, the Department of Job & Family Services has

partnered with the Ohio Association of Foodbanks in this effort. The Ohio Association conducts work assessments at each of the

Opportunity Centers once a week. Then in the first month, program participants are assigned to attend three clinics held at a convenient

community location. This month, the clinics are being held at the Driving Park branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. The three

clinics are 1) Background Check & Legal Aid Clinic; 2) Benefits Clinic where they make sure that the participants have applied for

healthcare insurance; and 3) Job Skills & Job Fair Clinic. Getting the background check is an essential part of assigning participants to a

work site. But attendance at the work assessment appointments is not high; about 30 percent of those expected show up at the East

Opportunity Center and the Northland Village Opportunity Center while only 10-15 percent attend their work assessment at the West

Opportunity Center.

At Fayette County Department of Job & Family Services, Mindy Eckle runs a well-organized WEP program that includes a weekly

group orientation for all program participants. Assistant Director Julie Thacker has designed a PowerPoint presentation to explain the

basics that is part of that weekly orientation. The day that I spoke with her, Mindy told us that 30 individuals had been expected at the

weekly orientation and only eight showed up and she said that this attendance pattern is typical. She said even though Fayette is a rural

county, many of their recipients are homeless.

At the Licking County Department of Job & Family Services, Angela Carnahan emphasized the importance of their comprehensive skills

assessment in the process of helping participants create a self-sufficiency plan. She said that they hold two group orientation meetings a

week and of the approximately 100 who are expected, around 50 percent attend. Angela said that they have noted two specific trends.

She said that they were surprised at how many of the participants do not have their GED and second, how many of them are in the 18 to

26-year-old age range.

The Coshocton County Department of Job & Family Services reports that they have a good participation rate and make daily workshops

available to anyone who wishes to take advantage of those resources. The biggest challenge for them is transportation because most jobs

are outside the county.

In 2014, the waiver for the work requirement for able-bodied adults with no dependents (ABAWDs) who receive Food Assistance

benefits was removed in many of Ohio’s counties due to the improvement in the economy and, specifically, the unemployment rate. We

expected that this would substantially change our outreach to adults who often lack the resources necessary to participate in scheduled

activities. But this has not been the case. In the Federal Fiscal Year ending in September 2014, 49 percent of our applicants were in the

ABAWD category and in the State Fiscal Year ending in June 2015 (three months overlapping FFY2014), 52 percent of our applicants

were ABAWDs.

When we meet individually with applicants who must work for their benefits, we try to keep in mind the first direction on Case

Western’s mini-poster, to “Be curious and ask What is this person’s potential?”

Food Assistance Outreach flyers for Federal Fiscal Year 2016 On October 1, we begin the new Federal Fiscal Year and the income eligibility limits for Food Assistance (SNAP) benefits increase.

Below are links to our flyers with these new eligibility limits.

Here is the flyer for partner agencies in Belmont, Fairfield, Fayette, Madison, Monroe, Noble, Pickaway, Ross or Union Counties.

CLICK HERE If you are in any of these counties, and have more questions, please call Belinda Ross at 740-438-4732.

Here is the flyer for partner agencies in Coshocton, Delaware, Guernsey, Harrison, Jefferson, Knox, Licking, Marion, Morrow, and

Muskingum Counties. CLICK HERE. If you are in any of these counties and have more questions, please call Tina Keller at 740-513-

1527.

Here is the weekly schedule of the Food Assistance Outreach Team CLICK HERE And, here is the bilingual flyer for Laura Imbrock

CLICK HERE.

Here is the flyer for Mary Elizabeth Courtney, Manager of the FAO Team. CLICK HERE.

Agencies calling locally ………………………….................................................................................................................614.317.9426 Agencies calling long distance may use this toll-free number...............................................................................................800.349.3663 Agencies who wish to fax their order use the fax line............................................................................................................614.317.9708 Email us at AGENCYSERVICES@MIDOHIOFOODBANK.ORG Visit our website at HTTP://MIDOHIOFOODBANK.ORG

Feeding the Mind is the bi-monthly newsletter of the Agency and Program Services Department, addressing issues important to agencies of

Mid-Ohio Foodbank, 3960 Brookham Drive, Grove City, OH • 614.274.7770

Mid-Ohio Foodbank is pleased to announce we are offering two produce distributions for the 2015 holiday season.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015 & Wednesday, December 16, 2015

November Save the Date: All agencies will be sent a link to register via email on Monday, October 5, 2015 by 11:00 am for the November Holiday Distribution. December Save the Date: All agencies will be sent a link to register via email on Monday, November 2, 2015 by 11:00 am for the December Holiday Distribution. There is no fee to attend either distribution and all produce is free! A limited number of Chicken Leg Quarters (by the case) will also be available at no charge.

Watch your email for further details and information. If you have questions please contact Ann L. Miller-Tobin @ 614-317-9441.

Turkey Broth $13.25 per case

This product is packed in 12/14.5oz cans per case.

Cranberry Sauce $0 per case

This product is packed in 24/14oz cans per case.

French Fried Onions $10.25 per case

This product is packed in 12/2.8oz containers per case.

French Cut Green Beans $10 per case

This product is packed in 24/14.5oz cans per case.

Cream of Mushroom Soup $8.94 per case

This product is packed in 24/10.5oz cans per case.

Corn Bread Stuffing $8.25 per case

This product is packed in 12/5.25oz boxes per case.

Instant Mashed Potatoes $7.61 per case

This product is packed in 12/6oz boxes per case.

Canned Pumpkin $7.57 per case

This product is packed in 12/29oz cans per case.

Frozen Pie Shells $4 per case

This product is packed in 12/10oz pie shells per case.