Susan Acker (703) 305-2286

USDA AWARDS OUTREACH GRANT TO NORTH CAROLINA
“Food Stamps Make America Stronger”

GREENSBORO, N.C., Oct. 8, 2002-Agriculture Under Secretary Eric M. Bost today awarded a grant totaling $217,215 to North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging to improve access and awareness of USDA’s Food Stamp Program for low-income households. The North Carolina grant is part of USDA’s“Food Stamps Make America Stronger” outreach campaign for assisting the working poor, elderly, legal immigrants and low-income families.

“The Bush administration has made nutrition assistance to eligible families a top priority,” said Eric M. Bost, under secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. “We want to ensure that everyone who is eligible for food stamps knows about the program and how they can participate. State and local organizations provide unique approaches to reach eligible people and that’s what these grants are all about.”

The Food Stamp Program, administered by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), is the cornerstone of federal nutrition assistance programs and provides crucial support to working poor and needy households. The program provided an average of $1.3 billion a month in benefits to participants in fiscal year 2001.

In 2001, $3.7 million dollars was awarded to 14 community-based organizations to improve program access through new technology and partnerships. The 2002 grantees, through program education and the use of new technology, will improve methods of applying for food stamps by allowing individuals to submit applications from partnering organizations such as schools and food banks.

This year 19 grants were awarded out of over 100 proposals from states, nonprofit groups and other organizations. Representatives from federal agencies and advocacy partners assisted FNS in the evaluation and selection of grantees. The outreach grants are used for increasing food stamp awareness of legal immigrants, the working poor, elderly and low-income families and individuals.

A complete list of the grants is below. For more information on the food stamp outreach grants, visit our Web site at http://www.fns.usda.gov/ .

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