Fiscal Year 2009 - Outreach Grants
Summary of Funded Projects

The following organizations received outreach grants from the Food and Nutrition Service in fiscal year 2009. A brief summary of each grant project is provided.

  Boys and Girls Club of Benton County, Inc., $74,261, 18-month Project

Location: Bentonville, Arkansas
Target Area: Benton County, Arkansas
Target Population: Low income Hispanics

Project Summary: The Boys and Girls Club of Benton County, though their ongoing Latino Outreach initiative, will use a variety of outreach strategies to raise awareness of and increase participation in SNAP: Engaging Latino media outlets to print articles and air public service announcements, providing education and technical assistance to potentially eligible clients, and providing support to remove access and cultural barriers to enrollment. Their primary partner is the local SNAP office. Churches, schools, and businesses will also collaborate with them and the leaders within the local Latino community to provide outreach events and refer potential clients. Each applicant will be given a “Key Card” as a means of introduction to the local agency and the Key Card will contain a unique numeric identifier that can facilitate confidential tracking of applications submitted through their outreach project.

  Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAPOC), $75,000, 1-year Project

Location: Garden Grove, California
Target Area: Orange County, California (Anaheim, Santa Ana, Stanton, Garden Grove, Orange, Westminster, and Buena Park)
Target Population: Low income Hispanics

Project Summary: CAPOC will expand their successful “Food Stamps in Four Hours” client workshops for enrollment in SNAP by establishing an additional three application assistance centers that will provide monthly workshops to assist Hispanic applicants to complete forms, obtain verification documentation, and prepare applicants to complete the application process. As in the past, County eligibility staff will notify applicants of their eligibility while they are at the workshop that same day. CAPOC will also partner with an Hispanic faith-based organization, Templo Calvario Community Development Corporation, to conduct SNAP outreach in Santa Ana where the largest population of low-wage Hispanic workers reside. Thirdly, CAPOC will partner with Champions of Change to incorporate SNAP information with their presentations that promote healthy living at Hispanic grocery stores, community fairs, employer worksites, ethnic events and community centers. Fourthly, CAPOC will provide mini-grants and training to Hispanic community organizations to use promotores to conduct outreach activities at community centers and community fairs.

  Cuban American National Council, Inc. (CNC), $75,000, 1-year Project

Location: Miami, Florida
Target Area: Miami-Dade County, Florida
Target Population: Low income Hispanic seniors

Project Summary: CNC will partner with Miami-Dade Community Action Agency and Abriendo Puertas to provide low income Hispanic seniors with information on the SNAP and personalized assistance in the application process. These services will be provided on-site at 14 different low-income senior housing facilities though out Miami-Dade County. Bilingual and bicultural outreach specialists will provide tenants and community residents with computer-based pre-screening for eligibility, one-on-one application assistance, one-on-one follow-up assistance, personalized small group enrollment workshops and transportation to and from the local office.

  Family Resource Centers of NE Nevada (FRCNEN), $73,230, 2-year Project

Location: Elko, Nevada
Target Area: Elko County, Nevada
Target Population: Low income Hispanics

Project Summary: Working through their Hispanic services program in existence since 1997, the FRCNEN outreach workers will contact potential applicants to offer education and assistance in applying for SNAP benefits. Elko County encompasses more than 17,000 square miles and is more than 100 miles from border to border. FRCNEN’s outlining centers and toll free number will be instrumental in providing access to program information and assistance to those living in the sparsely populated areas of the County. Applications can be filled out in community locations, at the applicant’s home or in the FRCNEN Centers. Other organizations, particularly WIC, will collaborate with FRCNEN in making information and assistance available to low income Hispanic residents.

  Goodwill Industries of the Springfield/Hartford Area, Inc., $75,000, 1-year Project

Location: Springfield, Massachusetts
Target Area: Springfield and Holyoke, Massachusetts and Hartford County, Connecticut
Target Population: Low income Hispanics

Project Summary: The Hispanic population in the Connecticut River Valley is characterized by high poverty rates among children and elderly compared to other major demographic groups. Goodwill is partnering with CTWorks in Hartford in an inter-agency effort to reach low wage workers through pilot employment programs. In addition, Goodwill will provide literature in English and Spanish to the community and faith based organizations that will refer potential applicants to Goodwill where pre-screening and application assistance will be scheduled at Goodwill locations or the applicant’s home. Goodwill will be hiring a bilingual case worker to assist applicants and accompany them, as necessary, to the local SNAP office.

  Greater Erie Community Action Committee (GECAC), $75,000, 2-year Project

Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Target Area: Erie County, Pennsylvania
Target Population: Low income seniors

Project Summary: GECAC is the coordinating agency for all aging services in Erie County. The services provided encompass the full range of activities needed from frail to the well elderly and provide a natural audience for SNAP outreach efforts. This grant will hire a SNAP coordinator to manage all project activity, promote SNAP, train staff and volunteers on prescreening and identifying those who might be eligible for enrollment. GECAC will also work with the National Council on Aging’s Benefits Check Up program to screen for a comprehensive range of benefit programs for seniors.

  Heartland Rural Health Network, Inc., $74,000, 1-year Project

Location: Avon Park, Florida
Target Area: Highlands, Hardee and DeSoto Counties, Florida
Target Population: Low income seniors

Project Summary: Heartland Rural Health Network will work closely with seven local agencies that provide a variety of health and social services to the senior populations of three rural counties. Each partner will provide space for informational materials and meetings as well as peer-volunteers who will conduct eligibility pre-screening, assist clients with completing the application, and assist applicants in following up with the enrollment process. In addition, Heartland Rural Health Network will work with several other organizations in these counties to train their staff to provide SNAP outreach. Their goal is to ensure that this outreach effort is sustainable and on-going after grant funding ends.

 Helping Others Make the Effort, Inc. (HOME), $68,182, 1-year Project

Location: Kissimmee, Florida
Target Area: Osceola County, Florida
Target Population: Low income Hispanics

Project Summary: HOME will conduct a project that will train current clients to use a promotora model in speaking to their peers about SNAP and the nutritional benefits available to eligible participants. The primary target population is Hispanic families living in motels and/or at risk of becoming homeless. HOME staff will provide assistance in making application and on-going follow-up to ensure that the application process is completed. They will also utilize a self-advocacy curriculum to empower clients to reduce their own barriers, such as, proactively contacting the local office to question possible errors and requesting time off from work to attend an appointment.

 International Relief and Development (IRD), $70,908, 1-year Project

Location: Gulfport, Mississippi
Target Area: Harrison and Hancock Counties, Mississippi
Target Population: Low income seniors

Project Summary: IRD is a community service organization that originated in response to Hurricane Katrina and evolved into an organization that is committed to assisting low income residents achieve self sufficiency. Working through its existing client base and in partnership with the Harrison County Long Term Recovery Coalition, local senior centers, the local chapter of AARP, and local churches, IRD outreach staff will provide potential SNAP applicants with information about the program, eligibility pre-screening, assistance completing the application, preparation for the certification interview, and delivering applications to the local office. IRD will also make group presentations aimed at larger audiences from which they expect to identify caregivers who can be a pivotal influence in leading potential applicants to the benefits they need.

  Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS), $75,000, 1-year Project

Location: Moorhead, Minnesota
Target Area: Kittson, Roseau, Marshall, Polk, Pennington, Red Lake, Norman, Lake-of-the-Woods, Beltrami, Hubbard, Clearwater, Mahnomen, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd, Wadena, Kandiyohi, Meeker, McLeod, Renville, Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood, Pipestone, Murray, Cottonwood, Rock, Nobles, Jackson, Sibley, Brown, Nicollet, Le Sueur, Watonwan, Blue Earth, Waseca, Martin, and Faribault Counties.
Target Population: Low income seniors

Project Summary: LSS will provide information, education, SNAP marketing, and outreach to disseminate program and eligibility information to thousands of individuals located in 39 Minnesota Counties in largely rural communities with significant aging populations. Targeted outreach will be conducted at 225 senior nutrition dining sites and through home delivery services to reach isolated, frail, and disabled elderly. Dining site managers and peer volunteers will conduct outreach, pre-screenings, and application assistance and will refer eligible seniors to their local SNAP office for enrollment. Other community service providers including Meals-On-Wheels, RSVP, Faith-in-Action, churches, health clinics, and county social service offices will refer seniors to LSS for assistance with the application process.

 Migrant Health Promotion, Inc., $75,000, 1-year Project

Location: Weslaco, Texas
Target Area: Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy Counties, Texas
Target Population: Low income Hispanic seniors

Project Summary: Migrant Health Promotion, Inc. will provide information and enrollment assistance directly to colonia residents through door-to-door and community outreach activities. Promotores (as), peer educators and advocates who share language, culture and experience with those they serve, will assist with overcoming barriers to program participation and provide outreach, pre-screening and application assistance. They will combine three overall strategies: a seasonal, intensive program focusing soley on SNAP outreach; the integration of SNAP outreach into other Migrant Health Promotion programs, enabling the organization to broaden its capacity in SNAP issues; and collaboration with the Area Agency on Aging and local SNAP offices to help build the local infrastructure for on-going SNAP outreach.

 Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc., $73,350, 23-month Project

Location: Mansfield, Ohio
Target Area: Richland County, Ohio
Target Population: Low income seniors

Project Summary: The Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging will partner with five grocery stores in the county and Angel Food Ministries food sites. Outreach workers will be stationed at these sites, selected because they are familiar sites to seniors, to talk with potential applicants about SNAP, conduct confidential pre-screening, and to assist with completing applications for enrollment. AAA will then mail applications to the local SNAP office to be processed for eligibility determinations. In addition, AAA will work with local churches, libraries, radio stations, and caregiver newsletters to disseminate information about SNAP and AAA’s outreach project.

 Puerto Rican Family Institute (PRFI), Inc., $74,996, 2-year Project

Location: New York, New York
Target Area: Bushwick, Williamsburg, and East New York areas of Brooklyn and the Ridgewood section of Queens
Target Population: Low income Hispanic seniors

Project Summary: Through their program, Lifeline for Latino Seniors, and through established relationships with many community and social service agencies in the area, the Puerto Rican Family Institute will contact seniors to provide them with information about the SNAP and assist them with the application process. The target areas selected for this project are near the locations of current PRFI elderly programs and are areas with high numbers of Hispanic residents. PRFI plans to conduct eligibility pre-screenings as well as assist applicants in following through with the application procedure at the local SNAP office. In addition, PRFI will send mailings to bodegas, botanicas, barber shops, senior centers, churches, agencies, and community centers to enlist their help in making SNAP information available and in making referrals to their outreach project.

 United Way of El Paso County, $75,000, 18-month Project

Location: El Paso, Texas
Target Area: El Paso County, Texas
Target Population: Low income Hispanics

Project Summary: A coalition of supporting agencies will work with United Way of El Paso in their outreach project by dedicating case workers to provide eligibility pre-screening at community events, the Volunteer Action Center, and at each partner agency’s site. Home bound clients will be pre-screened at their homes. Outreach workers will use laptop computers to connect to the Benefits Enrollment Network (BEN), a web-based system that accelerates the enrollment process. United Way of El Paso will be coordinating the training and outreach activities of its partners as well as distributing outreach materials to employers that have a large number of Hispanic low wage workers. In addition, the grantee has arranged for ten full time Americorp volunteers to include SNAP education in their outreach to families at after school program sites.

Last modified: 04/11/2012