Signing Off

Although the OBB Mobile Express is still on the road, we will no longer be posting regular updates of our work in order to focus on other efforts. We have enjoyed the past several years of sharing with you the everyday triumphs and struggles of working in human services, and we hope you will stay in touch! In real life, we aren't going anywhere.

Since 2006, those of us at The Ohio Benefit Bank have worked to make sure low-income Ohioans have access to the resources they need to take care of their families. Now, we have another goal: helping Ohioans sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

You can still invite the Mobile Express to your event. Here is how: http://ohiofoodbanks.org/programs/program-detail.php?id=1&page=2 

In service,
The Mobile Express team

Neighbor to Neighbor

Recently, while at Lutheran Social Services Champion Food Pantry in Columbus, I was introduced to a great resource that the pantry was using to help supplement the benefits available through The Ohio Benefit Bank™. LSS was using the Neighbor to Neighbor program to help their clients who utilized American Electric Power (AEP) manage their utility bills.

This one-time grant provides eligible clients with up to $500 of assistance! This program is a great resource for clients whose service is in threat of termination or whose service has already been terminated. While the Home Energy Assistance Program is open, the Neighbor to Neighbor Program will assist customers whose service is off. Neighbor to Neighbor is administrated by the Dollar Energy Fund, a nonprofit organization that works with power companies to make sure that people who can’t pay their bills get help and avoid power shut-off. The fund collects money from utility customers who donate by checking a box on their utility bills.

For more information about the program, or to find out if your site is eligible to become a Neighbor to Neighbor Authorized Screening Agency, please continue to this link: http://bit.ly/12COHCe

Photos From the Farm

Tyler and I recently had the opportunity to attend the Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association Summer Tour and Field Day with our colleague Erin Wright. Erin sources food for the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program, which provides surplus agricultural products from Ohio farms to local foodbanks. The event was hosted at Hirsch Fruit Farm of Chillicothe and Rhoads Farm Inc. of Circleville. It was great to be able to roll up our sleeves and spend a day on the farm, meeting some of the farmers who work with our foodbanks to make sure healthy fresh food doesn’t go to waste.

Here’s just a few photos of the day:

Successful Outreach Strategies for Veterans

It can be difficult for service providers to connect to groups of people we describe as “Hard-to-Reach” populations. Recently we have been researching outreach strategies for veterans, because of the large number of veterans in need who are eligible for benefits but are not receiving them.

Many of the veterans we have interviewed feel that there is a strong social stigma against applying for benefits, especially if their peers and social circle are aware. Unfortunately, these stigmas can often lead to associating the act of asking for help with a sense of failure. Often, attempts are made to outreach to veterans through bringing them together with their fellow veterans at social events combined with benefits fairs. However, we have observed that this approach actually leaves veterans feeling uncomfortable and more hesitant to seek out information.

 Our experiences and research have highlighted two key ideas that have proven successful for outreach to veterans:

One thing that has come up time and time again in our interviews with veterans was the importance that the information comes from people they trust. The VA Rural Veterans Outreach Toolkit  recommends developing community liaisons—individuals from within the veteran’s social circle who can be recruited to advocate for the use of these programs—when planning outreach to veterans. Bringing friends and family members on board creates an environment that is more hospitable to veterans and sparks a more welcoming and accepting attitude toward benefits.

Although many younger veterans are hesitant to apply for benefits, most are extremely comfortable with Internet technology. Many young veterans become more interested in applying for benefits when they discover they can complete and submit the applications themselves online.

We believe that combining these two practices — recruiting members of the community to help spread information, and focusing on programs like Self-Serve with younger veterans — will help increase the percentage of eligible veterans who apply for benefits.

How are you connecting to veterans in your community? If you would like to share any successful strategies or tools regarding your efforts, or participate in our survey, please let us know! Email me at tdavis@ohiofoodbanks.org or leave a comment here.    

Summer Crisis Program Kickoff!

This Monday, July 1^st, The Mobile Express will be attending The Breathing Association Summer Crisis Program Health & Energy Kickoff!  Before we head out to this great event though, we wanted to let everyone know a little information about the Summer Crisis Program.  The Summer Crisis Program is a statewide program (similar to HEAP) that allows eligible Ohioans to receive either a credit on their energy bill or in some cases a free fan or air conditioner! However there are some key differences between who is eligible for each program, for instance clients who are already enrolled in PIPP and are current with their payments do not qualify for this program.  For more information about who will qualify for the Summer Crisis Program, and what benefits they might be eligible for, please follow this link to the Department of Development’s web page.  But don’t delay, The Summer Crisis Program only accepts applicants from July 1^st to August 31^st, and if you are in the Columbus area on July 1^st between 10:30 AM  and 1:30 PM stop on over at The Breathing Association Summer Crisis Program Health & Energy Kickoff at 1520 Old Henderson Rd Columbus OH 43220!

An Answer to All Those Healthcare Questions: Enroll America

Again and again I am running into clients looking for answers to questions and fears about the Affordable Care Act. Questions like, “Will I be able to get Medicaid then?” or “How could I possibly afford going to the doctor?” Fears like, “Am I gonna get in trouble if I don’t pay for insurance?”

My response?... I’m not 100 percent sure exactly what will happen when the change occurs but I’m confident it will be a change for the better.  When people are healthy they are able to make choices that lead to success.

In the current political environment it can be near impossible to sift through each and every message that is thrown at us through the media and find truth. With so much rhetoric out there how can we find good information to pass to our clients? Fortunately, there’s an organization called Enroll America.

Enroll America’s website hosts a ton of awesome resources from informational outreach maps to recorded webinars.  One of the easiest and most effective ways I've found to educate clients about this topic is to share with them this video from Enroll America:

The video does a great job at highlighting what to expect when the new law fully kicks in and it doesn't allow for me to pass false information along to my clients.  If you too are receiving questions from clients about the Affordable Care Act give it a try! Simply show them this video or point them towards the Enroll America website.

As we move closer to 2014 we’ll learn more about the plans, the pricing, and other specific information so stay tuned for more. 

Stand Down for veterans: CACEHR Knows How to Reach Out!

Over the past few weeks The Ohio Benefit Bank Mobile Express has had the opportunity to work with one of our favorite partners, the Community Action Commission of Erie, Huron, and Richland Counties (CACEHR). Recently CACEHR has organized several “Stand Down” resource fairs for homeless veterans in both Huron and Richland Counties.

Both Richland and Huron County chapters worked extremely hard to put together these events to provide an opportunity for their clients to become connected to a large number of service providers and employers. These events were an opportunity for their organization to help veterans in need, but also to show respect and appreciation for their service. 

CACEHR's Richland County chapter in particular used several strategies to advertise this event to both local social service providers and to clients, but one of their most effective was to reach out and enlist the aid of key community figures. According to the Rural Veterans Outreach Toolkit, a package created by the Veterans Rural Health Resource Center, one of the most effective ways to generate interest in veterans and other hard-to-reach populations is to be associated with influential and trusted members of the local area. It is also an effective strategy to help with the recruitment of other partners. In this case, CACEHR reached out to Mansfield City Mayor Timothy L. Theaker who became one of the event’s most vocal supporters. In a short speech addressed to the veterans being served at the event, Mayor Theaker expressed his gratitude towards the service and sacrifices of the veterans in his community, and expressed a strong desire to help those who had served get back on their feet.

Thanks to CACEHR a great number of veterans in multiple counties were able to connect to some fantastic resources, and we will look forward to their next event!

Photo caption: Representatives from local community resources set up their tables for the Stand Down event in Richland County.

One of the Best Advertising Mediums is Sitting Right in Front of You!

Recently Tyler and I have been researching best practices and outreach strategies. As we travel the state attending events, we often come across real-life examples of positive approaches to this work.

One of these moments occurred at a park in Akron last month at a benefits clinic event hosted by Choices Community Social Center.

We met with each interested resident, explaining how the OBB can work to alleviate some of the stress and pressure that often is associated with poverty.

One resident, who we’ll call “Dave,” listened so intently I thought for sure he would be interested in completing an application. After finishing my little spiel, he explained to me that although he was unemployed he was likely not eligible to receive any benefits because he had so recently lost his job. He would however pass all of the information on to anyone he encountered who needed assistance.

I believe in Dave, his willingness to succeed, and his likelihood of obtaining full-time employment very soon.  I also believe in the potential marketing and advertising power he and others like him possess.  Peer-to-peer advertising (AKA word-of-mouth advertising) is one of the oldest and most natural tricks in the book, but far too often underemployed.  Think of those ‘refer a friend and receive a discount’ campaigns or a ‘share on Facebook’ button at the end of an online news article. By educating clients and enabling them to share information with the people around them we can reach and serve a lot more people.

For more on this topic check out this Business Week article, Word of Mouth Is the Best Ad.

Interview with a Veteran

Recently, we were at a Stand Down (a service fair for veterans) in Huron County, where we were able to interview several different veterans over the course of the day. Two of them really stood out to me because they highlight just how large a spectrum of experiences the word “veteran” can cover.

John

“John” (pseudonym) is a 28-year-old veteran who served in the Special Forces, where he was injured and honorably discharged. Ever since he returned home, things haven’t been easy. The depressed economy has made it nearly impossible to find steady work, especially with the partially disabling injuries he received in the service. Having a large family—a household of five—has only made things more difficult as both parents struggle to balance raising their children with providing for them. John was already accessing some of the benefits for which he was eligible. Medicaid had allowed him to provide health insurance for his children, and SNAP made it possible for him to help continue to feed his family. When we spoke, he hadn’t applied for HEAP and PIPP, which he plans to do now using OBB Self-Serve. John acknowledged that he could potentially get a better job if he went to college, but he was hoping to be able to find enough work to avoid this because he wanted to pass his education credit onto his youngest daughter, hoping to give her a better start.

Earl

“Earl” is a veteran of the Vietnam War in his early 70’s. Until the past few years he had done quite well for himself, holding a steady job and making investments to help supplement his anticipated retirement. In his early 60’s Earl suffered from a series of severe illnesses commonly linked to exposure to Agent Orange, and was forced to retire earlier than he had planned. Then, his retirement packages lost significant value during the recession, leaving Earl and his wife struggling to make ends meet. Earl was eligible for SSDI due to the nature of his illnesses, which has been a great help to them over the past few years. When we spoke, Earl was just over income to be eligible for food assistance, but he was income eligible for HEAP, and he planned to visit a local OBB site to apply. Still, his retirement has not been anything like what he had expected, and he expressed concern about the uncertainty of how the next big change – the Affordable Care Act – will affect him. Earl remains nervous about what the future might hold.

Stories of veterans struggling to get by are unfortunately far too common, and veterans of long past wars as well as recent ones are both affected. These stories drive home the importance of the benefits that the OBB helps individuals access, because these benefits provide a little bit of stability in a fast changing world. 

Veterans Mobile Health Unit: a VA outside the walls

We recently had the opportunity to team up with the Veterans Mobile Health Unit, a mobile extension of the Cincinnati Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, for a resource fair in the Woodlawn area of Cincinnati. As a VA, the medical center offers a wide range of services for veterans: from allergy relief to drug and alcohol addiction services. It’s an awesome resource for veterans in the downtown area— but what about vets who live elsewhere in the city or those with barriers to transportation?

VA Mobile Unit and sign. (photo by Daniel Hansen)

The Veterans Mobile Unit is a convenient way for veterans to access VA healthcare and have their medical record established. Community leaders planning events for veterans in the Cincinnati area can request the mobile unit to participate in their events. To do so, simply contact Christine Royer at Christine.Royer@va.gov.

Interested in this service provider but not in the Cincinnati area? Click here for more information about a Dayton area mobile unit.

Waiting for October: finding mental health services in the months before the health insurance expansion

Over the weekend I ran into an old friend who connected me to an individual in need of “some type of health insurance.”

The woman, age 23, told me that she has never had any type of health insurance coverage but heard on the radio that things have been changing and she might be able to enroll in the new healthcare exchange. She was frustrated to hear that the healthcare exchange is not yet available to consumers.

We talked a little about her family. She lives with her mother, but aside from splitting the electric bill 50-50 they live in separate households. She brings home around $350 every other week and she is frequently depressed about her financial situation. She then explained to me that this is why she is seeking health insurance — she needs mental health services. Unfortunately, childless adults are not eligible to receive Medicaid at her level of income, so I couldn't assist her with the application. I did point her towards an awesome resource organized by Mental Health America of Franklin County.

The Pro Bono Counseling Program connects volunteer mental health professionals with those in the community who need mental health counseling but cannot afford it. This local resource and other programs like it can be a vital lifeline for those struggling with poverty and mental health disorders. My new friend may have to wait until October to enroll in the healthcare exchange but not to receive mental health counseling.

Carpe Diem Part 2

Recently we talked about how this is the perfect time for taxpayers to do some spring cleaning. This is also the perfect time for tax counselors to brush up on their knowledge! Having problems with 1099-DIV forms? Not sure what a land lease is, or how it will affect the clients you are serving? This is the perfect time to find out the answers to some of those questions. Here are a few quick ways you can get your regular dose of tax tips:

Continue your education! Gayle Loyola, Asset Development Coordinator for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, home of The Ohio Benefit Bank(OBB™)  runs a fantastic webinar series for enhancing OBB counselors on the third Wednesday of every month from 12-1 PM. It’s a great way to expand your knowledge of the many tax forms available.

Brush up with The Ohio Benefit Bank Tax Clinic Guide, and the other fantastic resources for planning a tax clinic that can be found in The Ohio Benefit Bank™ Tax Clinic Kit.

Mark your calendar for the sixth annual Ohio Benefit Bank Community Meeting and Training on September 17, 2013 in Columbus, where you can attend tax related seminars, see fantastic speakers, learn some new ways to connect to your clients, and much more! 

Stay connected to the OBB online: “Like” our Facebook page for updates and tips you can share, and, as always, keep reading our posts for more behind-the-scenes perspective on being an OBB counselor. You can follow our blog or add us (http://www.obbmobileexpress.blogspot.com/) to your RSS feed to get our most posts delivered to you.

Carpe Diem!

Now that tax season is behind us, there is no better time to do some spring cleaning and make sure you  will have everything you’ll need for next year. Taxes can be confusing, and indeed intimidating to many people, and it is understandable to want to forget the whole process. Don’t! Not paying attention can have the unfortunate result of leaving you vulnerable to mistakes being made on their tax forms. 

 For example, it is not uncommon for a household to owe money to the IRS because of a mistake or outdated information about how much income should be withheld from a paycheck for federal income taxes. There is no better time than right now to get a more complete understanding of how  various types of income are taxed, and how that will affect your return in the future. 

Here are a few “spring cleaning” steps you can take to make filing next year’s taxes as stress-free as possible:

-         Check to see if your W-4 filed with your employer needs to be updated. If you owed money at tax time, or had a life change such as a marriage, divorce, new family member, or employment change, you will likely want to adjust your withholding. Employers and human resource departments are great resources for learning about your W-4. It’s a good idea to make a habit of checking this every year.  

-         Contact your bank, employer, or the distribution source of any retirement or pension plans to shed some light on the sometimes murky details surrounding your IRA and 401Ks so that you don’t have any surprises waiting for you when you file your 1099-Rs next year and to ensure that you are not being taxed at a higher rate than you should be. 

-         Keep your tax information somewhere safe for next year!  By bringing your previous year’s tax information (along with your login name and password) into your appointment you will ensure accuracy on your taxes and make your tax appointment go faster.

So seize the day, and take this opportunity to spot any issues before they become a problem!

A Helping Hand

As part of its initiative to better serve Ohioans in need The Ohio Benefit Bank™ Mobile Express is currently studying the best ways to reach out to some of our most underserved populations, with a special focus on Ohio’s seniors, veterans, and people living with disabilities.  One of the ways we are hoping to learn more about these particular groups is through a state wide survey that, in order to promote accessibility, will be conducted through email, phone, mail, and direct participation.

We need your help to be successful! 

Do you or your organization have any contact with seniors, veterans, or people living with disabilities, especially those that are well connected to others in their own communities?    Would you be willing to help us enroll them in a study that will help you better connect to underserved populations in your area?  If so, please contact Tyler Davis at (614) 915-2038 or through email at tdavis@ohiofoodbanks.org for more information regarding this project!

Thank you Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Agency!

Over the course of the 2012 tax season it has been our great pleasure to work on several occasions with the Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Agency. 

In addition to offering free tax clinics, the Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Agency provides its community with a phenomenal adult literacy and GED program, offers access to weatherization services through HWAP, maintains a food pantry and recycling center, and helps people apply for a number of other social service programs.

Tonya Dobbins, and all of the staff, have done their very best to ensure that our visits to their site were extremely successful. We appreciate all of their hard work, especially since it enabled the Mobile Express to help more than 50 individual clients file over 100 tax applications over several visits to the agency.

If you are in Fairfield County, and are interested in becoming involved with the Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Agency, feel free to give them a call at (740) 653-4146 or complete this volunteer application  to explore the many ways you can make a difference in your community!

Pictured: The Lancaster – Fairfield Community Action Agency building in Lancaster, from the organization’s website, http://www.faircaa.org/. 

Serving Together in Cincinnati’s Northside

Churches Active In Northside (CAIN) is a one-stop-shop for individuals looking to receive assistance in Cincinnati’s Northside neighborhood.  Formally founded in 1991, CAIN is supported by thirteen church ministries who, as explained to me, joined together to maximize their impact and minimize the need for clients to visit pantries as often.  CAIN offers everything from food and household products to help with birthday gifts for children and all the while remains an active OBB site, helping to connect pantry visitors with Food Assistance to supplement their food budget in the long term. 

Image: from CAIN website, www.cainministry.org

Here are three things CAIN is doing to ensure success:

They cater their hours of operation to their clients.  At CAIN, a parent can get off work at a normal time, go home and fix dinner, and still have time to visit the pantry before it closes at 8:30 pm.They use their OBB services to propel other aspects of their organization and vice-versa.  In fact, it seems like each time someone walks out of their door you can hear a staff member or volunteer encouraging clients to tell their friends and family that they can find help at CAIN.They nurture existing partnerships and relationships.  One of the times we visited CAIN this tax season we met a volunteer who had moved from Cincinnati to West Virginia. Every time she comes back to visit, she spends some time volunteering with her friends at CAIN!

Creative Marketing

Pictured above: Organizers of the Churches Active in Northside (CAIN) tax clinic pasted signs to The Ohio Benefit Bank™ Mobile Express to direct clients to the appropriate entrance.

Marketing your Ohio Benefit Bank events doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to work! For example, printed signs like the one shown above can work great as long as they are placed in effective locations.  

Recently, we attended a food distribution in Wooster that had a phenomenal turn-out. It turns out that the folks at the Wooster Hope Center reached out to many new clients by using Facebook and Twitter! Approximately twenty percent of the first-time attendees we spoke to said they heard about the event through social media, which really goes to show the impact social media can have when trying to reach out to new groups of people!  

What kind of marketing is most effective for you? If you have any creative ideas that work for your organization, we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment to share them here, or email us at: dhansen@ohiofoodbanks.org.

 

5 Tips for a Great Tax Clinic

Planning a tax clinic?  Here are a few tips that may help ensure a successful event!

1. Secure a location!

It may sound obvious, but make sure that you have a physical location for your clinic, and maintain an open line of communication with your chosen site to help avoid mistakes in scheduling or double booking of any rooms you might need. If possible ensure that your counselors have a low traffic or private area to work with clients. If that’s not possible get creative! One site used tri-fold poster boards to screen clients and counselors at each work station, making sessions feel more private..

2. Advertise!

Once you have the location, date, and time of your clinic, get the word out there! This season, many of the most successful clinics that the Mobile Express has attended have used a combination of advertising strategies including radio advertisements, word of mouth, newspaper ads, and flyers. In particular, we have noted that events (especially those in smaller or rural towns) that have advertised in a local newspaper have experienced a notable increase in appointments. Templates for all of these are available in The Ohio Benefit Bank Tax Clinic Kit.

3. Schedule!

Knowing your capacity and the capabilities of your staff is critical to having a successful event. Some of our most successful tax clinics have developed strategies that allow them to maintain a steady workflow and also accommodate any unexpected walk-ins. On average, expect an hour to an hour and a half for each appointment. Having an extra counselor on hand to help out with any walk-ins or overflow can really help take your clinic to the next level.

4. Register!

During your tax clinic, have your clients sign in in a separate area with a registration table to help organize a steady pace for your counselors. We have seen sites that = print copies of The Ohio Benefit Bank™ Terms and Conditions and review it with  incoming clients during registration.  Some sites have taken this one step further by creating new client profiles as a client waits for their appointment. When a tax counselor is ready, the client can move directly to the tax application process. This is also a great opportunity to screen clients for benefits with Quick Check! 

5. Report!

Recently, we have noticed that some of our tax clinic sites request that clients fill out a brief exit survey with questions about how they found out about the event, how their experience was, and other relevant feedback. This has really helped some sites plan future events, and can be a great asset towards making improvements in the process!

Got more questions?  Check out The Ohio Benefit Bank Tax Clinic Kit for great tips on planning and organizing your next tax clinic!

Just a Few Clicks Away

Earlier this tax season, Tyler and I attended a busy and well-organized tax clinic hosted by Lancaster Fairfield Community Action. As appointments came and went our team made a conscious effort to keep the benefits side of The Ohio Benefit Bank™ in mind. Each client was met with a short explanation of the many uses of The Ohio Benefit Bank (OBB™) in addition to taxes.

Why were we thinking about benefits at a tax clinic? Because many OBB tax clients are also eligible for one or more of the work support programs. But that doesn’t mean they are taking advantage of those programs. If we can let OBB tax clients know the other uses of the online service maybe we can help to de-stigmatize the work support programs. By introducing the many uses of the OBB you’re encouraging your clients to think about their needs throughout the tax appointment. After inputting all of the information necessary to complete their tax return, their work support application is just a few clicks away.

Our clients could potentially walk away from a tax appointment with a refund on the way and reduced stress towards meeting their most basic needs. 

Tools for Taxes: Tax Clinic Kit

Tax season is in full swing and The Ohio Benefit Bank™ network is hard at work assisting thousands of Ohioans all around the state and we, at the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, are here to help.  As we have in the past, we’ve put together a collection of tools to help with planning, marketing, and executing Ohio Benefit Bank (OBB™) tax clinics.  However, these tools will also help with day-to-day tax assistance operations.

Inside the kit you will find a sample appointment sheet, a guide for using Google Spreadsheets, a press release template, helpful contacts, and a tax counselor quick reference guide to name a few.  Simply click this link to access the kit or navigate to ohiobenefits.org and click counselor resources.

Season Opener at the Work Station

E-filing is officially open, and tax season is officially underway! The Mobile Express celebrated the opening of the e-file portals by heading over to a tax clinic at The Work Station in The Plains in Athens County.  

Thanks to John Tyma and the staff at The Work Station, we had a fantastic clinic and were able to help 19 separate households file their state and federal income taxes. Our first submissions were a part of the flood of applications that hit the IRS portal upon its initial opening at 9:30 am.

The Work Station is a great community resource for people living in the Athens County area, offering free resume building, computer literacy classes, employment training and much more.  Additionally, The Work Station has a special focus on veterans, a connection that was reflected in John’s fantastic outreach efforts to veterans within the local community. It was thanks to these efforts that we had such a great turnout, and we can’t wait to return for another tax clinic in the near future!  

A Learning Experience

As mobile enrollment specialists on the Mobile Express, Daniel and I, like many of you, are currently making our way through the hurricane that is the 2013 tax filing season. As such, we get to work with a fantastic number of clients, some of whom have particularly intriguing situations in regards to their tax status.

Just today I worked with a young woman whose situation impressed upon me just how important it is for individuals to understand the tax forms their employers provide them with upon hiring. In this case, the young woman in question had recently begun working for an employer who had furnished her with a 1099-MISC instead of a standard W-2. This was the first time that she had filed such a form, so using The Benefit Bank was a great opportunity for her to learn about some of the major differences between the two forms.

In particular, she was surprised to find that she could make estimated tax payments throughout the year to avoid owing taxes at the end. She was also really interested that The Benefit Bank allows her to claim up to $5000 of business expenses incurred in the process of doing her job as deductions when filing a 1099-MISC. All in all, it seemed that working with The Benefit Bank was an extremely educational and empowering opportunity for this young woman, who felt that she came away from the experience knowing more about her tax documents than she ever had before! 

It’s All In The Cart

Lutheran Social Services Champion Avenue Food Pantry shopping cart.

While shopping for groceries, we often take for granted the choices we are able to make. By choosing their own food, clients at Lutheran Social Services and other choice food pantries are sure they are receiving food that they and their families need, enjoy, and will use. Choice pantries also benefit from reduced food waste, reduced preparation time, and the ability to identify needed inventory.

Seniors and Technology

While attending an event called Bethlehem on Broad, hosted by Broad St. United Methodist Church, I was reminded of some conflicting findings our team has recently come across as we began researching and identifying effective outreach strategies: Are seniors using technology? According to one gentleman, who was one of over 1,300 participants registered to receive a food-box full of what would become Christmas dinner, seniors are in fact using technology.

Having had some trouble with the printer we were using, I asked the gentleman if he had an email address I could use to send him another, more legible, copy of his application.  This one question lead to an entire conversation about how he used technology in his life; his email habits, the new printer he had just purchased, and how he found information about available services.

According to Anita Herbert and Leon Ginsberg, authors of Human Services for Older Adults: Concepts and Skills, mass media is an ineffective way of soliciting older adults (pg. 83).  Mass media could include anything from newspapers to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.  Instead, the article suggests face-to-face outreach methods, such as door-to-door canvassing.

Being a self-diagnosed technology geek myself, I tend to disagree.  I see older folks using various forms of technology on a regular basis: smart phones, computers, social networking sites, blogs, and so on.  I believe these new methods of accessing information will only continue to grow in popularity with our aging community.

As our team dives further and further into our research we will begin to draw conclusions on this topic, but I am very curious to hear some of your thoughts on seniors and technology.  Are they using it? Does your organization or company use technology-based outreach strategies to target seniors? Have you had a specific experience that might provide some insight to our team? Please let me know – dhansen@ohiofoodbanks.org. 

Dig Deeper

I was recently reminded that the way in which we offer services to our clients has a huge impact on the likelihood of the client accessing those services. Here’s what happened:

Tyler and I were going about our typical routine, setting up our computers, printer, and work station when our host began to introduce The Ohio Benefit Bank as a visiting service provider. Nothing but blank stares.

Just to make sure everyone got the message, I walked the room one person at a time, introducing myself and asking if they had any questions about the programs for which we could help them apply. Finally a question: “Why do I only receive $16 in food stamps?” I was thrilled, not only because there was a question, but because I was prepared to answer this one. I responded, “It’s an income-based program. The minimum benefit amount is $16, but that should cover the basics: bread, milk, and eggs.” The conversation went from work to rent to hobbies, until I identified two additional benefits they were eligible for: HEAP and Golden Buckeye.

So what’s the point? Sometimes we can all be inclined to offer assistance, without really taking the time to listen to others. Dig Deeper! Have a conversation! Get to know their needs and the barriers they’re facing and you’ll be able to provide a much more meaningful intervention.

Building Bridges

As a mobile enrollment specialist on The Ohio Benefit Bank Mobile Express I am constantly trying to develop connections that will allow us to better serve the clients at the events which we attend.  One of the ways this can be accomplished is by working alongside other organizations who share our aims to help people in need.

Recently, The Mobile Express had an opportunity to work with The Breathing Association Mobile Medical Unit at Lutheran Social Services’ Champion Avenue Food Pantry in Columbus. 

The Breathing Association promotes lung health and helps prevent lung disease through education, detection and service in the low-income and minority populations of Columbus.

They provided some great services to the clients at the LSS-Champion Avenue Food Pantry, such as a free health screening, an opportunity to schedule an appointment at The Breathing Association’s free clinic where they could renew their prescriptions, and even offered a free flu shot!

It is mutually beneficial relationships like this one that can really assist people who are trying to help Ohioans in need.  If you are in Franklin County, and are interested in contacting The Breathing Association Mobile Medical Unit regarding your next event, you can contact them at (614) 273-2843 or visit their website.

The Tax Season Cometh

Winter’s chill is in the air, which can only mean one thing…. Tax Season is right around the corner!  The Ohio Benefit Bank™ Mobile Express is already gearing up and scheduling dates for the 2013 tax season, and we want to come to your clinic! The Mobile Express can help your site assist a greater number of Ohioans, and is especially interested in working with seniors, veterans, and people living with disabilities.  Requesting the Mobile Express is as easy as filling out our Request for Participation form, but don’t delay as dates are filling up quick!

                         

You’ve probably heard by now that the IRS has moved back the date at which they are accepting tax returns to January 30^th. Don’t forget that OBB counselors can still pre-file taxes as early as January 25^th by following these guidelines.

Stay tuned during tax season to the Mobile Express blog for great tax tips, stories about the people we meet, and ideas for better connecting to your local populations. 

Budget Cuts: Not Quite a SNAP

As you have probably noticed, ‘budget cuts’ have become a pretty popular topic in recent months and with the nation $16.3 trillion in debt, it probably ought to be. The question on a lot of our minds, including myself, is how will budget cuts affect the clients we serve?

As someone who drives around the state helping people in need access benefits, I can see firsthand how those cuts would impact our nation’s ‘safety-net’ programs. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly referred to as ‘food stamps’, is perhaps the most critical safety-net program as it provides a means for purchasing food; food that helps children learn and grow, helps adults maintain productivity at work, and helps seniors in the most vulnerable time of their lives.

But what can we, as people who help our neighbors in need, do to protect these programs? Fortunately, those folks out in D.C. and in our state capitol work for the people and they want to hear from you! Two easy ways to let your Senators and Representatives know where you stand are: writing a letter and calling them on the phone. You can use our locator to identify and contact the correct elected official.

If you are able, I encourage you or your organization to read and sign our petition to support the Ohio Food Program and Agricultural Clearance Program, which allows Ohio’s foodbanks to purchase nutritious food such as surplus and unmarketable produce from Ohio farmers and growers (read more here). Simply enter your information and select ‘sign petition.’ You can also stay informed of critical issues by signing up to receive advocacy alerts.

Reducing our national debt isn’t quite a “snap”. Changes that are made today will have long-term implications on our country’s future.  It is absolutely critical that our officials know how WE would like OUR money spent. Let your voice be heard!