Couple Organizes Distribution for Huron County Residents

Pictured here are Dennis and Rose Jaeckin with Joseph Hrinda. Dennis and Rose with the Plymouth Shiloh Food Pantry, distribute food at different locations throughout the county --helping to feed the hungry. Joseph Hrinda is the Agency Relations Coordinator of the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio which supplies food to pantries throughout this and several other counties.

The Mobile Express team talked to over 200 people who were waiting for farm fresh veggies. All the people fell under 200% of the federal poverty guideline. Some people waited an hour in line to receive an armload of produce to share with their families. Ten OBB applications were completed for various benefits including food assistance, medicare premium assistance and voter registration.

While talking with folks in line, I met one of the bakers for Pepperidge Farm cookies. She bakes one of my favorites --Milanos, and every time I bite into one of those delectable cookies, I will remember those who we help along the way. Noted: If there is ever a Milano distribution in Ohio, the OBB Mobile Express will be first on the scene!

Financial Push Ups

Went to the Smart Money Choices conference hosted by state treasurer, Josh Mandel, in Columbus to learn about resources and brush up on my own skills for financial freedom. I learned a lot about Social Security benefits, credit and debt, and state sponsored programs that support Ohioans with specific goals. It was a day well spent.



I was pleasantly surprised to find our very own Gayle Loyola on stage at the opening panel. She was one of 3 presentors who were answering questions. Gayle represented us well--made people aware of resources through the Benefit Bank and then some.

The goal of the conference in Josh Mandel's words:

“The Smart Money Choices conference series brings together qualified financial professionals and experts to provide free advice to Ohioans who want to take better control of their finances,” said Treasurer Mandel. “It’s important that Ohioans are equipped with tools to manage their finances and plan for a successful future. Smart Money Choices conferences provide valuable resources and encourage discussion on strategies to help residents put their money to work toward reaching their goals.”

There will be one more conference offered this summer in Youngstown on August 26. If you are interested, you can sign up here.

While looking poking around the internet I found a great resource through OSU Extension that uses 8 Easy Exercises for Financial Fitness. Check it out.

A couple of tidbits I learned through the conference:

• Social Security was never intended to be the sole income for retirees. Save money now.



• Get your debt owed down to 32% or less to increase your credit score.

Now I need to set my sights on my goals and live large without spending a lot of money--wish me luck!

Eye had a Great Time in Cleveland

OBBME visited Cleveland for a Medworks event focusing on eye care services to under or not insured patients. Over 1000 individuals gathered, 300 of those needed to be turned away due to resource limits (they did this at 9:30 am). The demand was amazing. The mobile express team spoke to hundreds of people.

Medworks continues to serve Ohioans with the least resources and are experts at rallying support from the medical field to accomplish these goals and we are glad to join forces with them to make a difference.

Here is the van at Quicken Loans Arena. Much of our time was spent in line however, talking to the 700 people waiting to be seen by an optometrist.

Pictured above is Erin with Ralph P. Ralph was seen at the last Medworks event and successfully applied for Medicaid with us. He has beginning stages of Alzheimer’s and is now attending a support group for his condition using his Medicaid benefits to do so. He came back to get an eye exam this time.

Question:

Who has two thumbs, has been on the floor of Quicken Loans Arena and has never won an NBA championship?

Alternate answer: LeBron James

Agape is on the Road in More Locations!

Food is stored on specially designed shelves--making it possible to travel to

8 locations within Shelby county. The mobile pantry feeds folks

in very remote areas that may not otherwise have food to eat.

Russell and Jeff McAtee (head honcho of the mobile food pantry)

take a break in front of the pantry.

Here is Russell with his very own sticker book from High School Musical 3. As you can tell, this find made his day. This and other miscellaneous items are available for the taking as well.

Advertise "FREE"

Signage at the clinic. People stopped by just to see what was available.

They were rewarded for stopping with a give away prize.

Rhonda Holbrook and Missy Jimison

from Adams Brown Counties Economic Opportunities Inc.

joined Russell during recent benefit clinic.

Russell and I went to West Union, the county seat of Adams for a benefit clinic. Rhonda and Missy pictured above worked hard to advertise the clinic in advance and schedule appointments. We were able to complete 10 applications and assisted a few folks with getting Safelink phones. Low income residents can apply for a free cell phone with up to 250 free talk/text minutes.

Aptly Named Franklin Furnace

Spent the day in Franklin Furnace on a very hot June day. Worked in tandem with Lutheran Social Services as they distributed food to hungry Scioto County folks. People came from near and far to stand in line for 2 hours to get food assistance. We were able to complete many applications and provide referrals for other service needs.

Below are a few photos:

Applying for benefits

Van nestled beside the church



Roving hills of Scioto County

Busy Busy Busy (Part 2)

After a successful trip to Franklin Furnace, it was time to get ready for our next event. The good news: It was in Columbus. After driving to Kentucky and back, Columbus sounded nice. The bad news: The event was 12 hours long. It ended at 7pm. Which means it started at...

...

...

&*#*(&^@)(*@_

Despite the early morning, Erin and I were looking forward to this event. Dr. Brian Kvitko, DDS was hosting a massive free dental clinic. Free cleanings, free, extractions, free fillings. And when I say massive, I mean MASSIVE. Over three hundred people were there waiting for dental help.

So Erin and I (this time with a cameo from National Service Member Extraordinaire, Emily Forsee) worked the crowd to see how many people wanted to apply for benefits.

We were honestly shocked by the response. Erin and I finished 21 applications. That made this trip -in terms of raw numbers - one of our five most successful ever. A plurality of the applications were for food assistance, but we ran the gamut from Medicaid to Medicare Premium Assistance to the ever-in-demand Golden Buckeye cards.

Twenty-one applications over 12 hours. And a majority of them were before noon when people were waiting hours just to get a cavity filled. I applaud Dr. Kvitko for helping fill a need and I am glad we were there to make sure people's dinner tables were taken care of as well as their teeth.

But even though this event was on a Friday, our work for the week was far from done. A Saturday trip to Cleveland loomed over the horizon.

Part 3 coming soon.