Waiting on Those 1099s

So, tax season. Hurray! I really like doing applications where it looks like a client could be getting a $5000 check in the mail in two weeks. I think it combines my desire to help people with my desire to someday be a game show host.

Alas, Ohio has a severe unemployment problem. And unemployment compensation is taxable. The state doesn't have to provide those 1099 record of unemployment compensation until February 1, so a lot of people are just... waiting. I've had to turn away a few clients who had all of their relevant information except for their 1099s. I hate doing that, but everyone's hands are tied. The Mobile Express has been stuck in park since many of my scheduled events in economically depressed areas have been canceled. The people there just don't have their documents yet.

But we persevere. Our Direct Service Office is the busiest I've ever seen it and people are getting their refunds at a feverish pace. But I still stare at February 1 on my calendar waiting for the chance to help every person who comes into our office or into our van. I can't wait.

The Van Done Got Frozen

As you know from religiously reading this blog, the Mobile Express has been in park since December 22. Second Harvest employees has Christmas and New Years off and our trip on January 7th got canceled due to inclement weather. So, I was ready to be back on the road on January 13 for a trip to North Central Correctional in Marion. This wasn't our first trip to these facilities, so we knew the rules. No money, no cell phones, and, alas, no weapons or drugs.

We were especially excited for this trip because we were going to have a special guest. Melissa Lindsay, an attorney with the Ohio Poverty Law Center was going to watch us talk about the Benefit Bank and tell soon to be released inmates that her organization could help with any problems obtaining the benefits they were entitled to.

So I had everything ready to go. Everything except the van. The Mobile Express, with its weeks of inactivity, turned into a vancicle. According to the dash, the van's battery froze out sometime on January 10.

Ugh.

Thankfully the van has something called a "battery booster" and after half an hour of blasting the defrost and wiping ice off of our wiper blades, we were ready to go. We spoke to over 50 inmates and hopefully helped one of the neediest demographics in Ohio.

So, yeah. The van is back.

Ready to Get Back on the Road

After a wonderful break for the December and January holidays, Erin and I were ready to get back on the road. Our batteries were recharged. The interstates had our name all over them. Time to head down south to a food distribution event in Sciotoville where we could really do some good.

Alas, the snows came.

This is our first event canceled because of the weather and I certainly appreciate it. Watching the snow accumulate outside our windows here makes me grateful that our safety taken into consideration by the people who organized the event in Sciotoville. I'm also pleased that we won't be required to drive through any Level II snow storms. I just wish the winter weather would wait for the days when we're supposed to be in the office instead of on the road.

New York Times Article on Food Assistance

I wrote a little post on a recent New York Times article on food assistance on our sister site. The article is a must read.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I'm writing this from the spit of land known as Cape Cod on New Year's Day. Just finished watching one Ohio team win the Rose Bowl and the other good Ohio football team just won the coin flip in the Sugar Bowl.

I just wanted to take a second during this vacation to point out that 2009 was a wonderful year. And I'm not saying this to suck up to my superiors! It's been an absolute pleasure working on the Mobile Express. Erin and I - along with other Benefit Bank counselors willing to sacrifice the occasional Saturday or late night - have signed over a hundred people up for things like food stamps and utility assistance. We've done eligibility checks for over one thousand Ohioans.

And it may be cliche, but it would be remiss of me to point out that 2010 will be even better. This will be the first tax season where the Mobile Express will be in full force. We'll be going to parts of Ohio where we've never been before. From the covered bridges of Ashtabula County to the Dum-Dum Capital of the World in Williams County. The mileage is going to be intense.

So keep checking in. Our next big trip is in the middle of January and things kick into high gear not long after that. See you around the state!