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There are some BIG changes to the Food Stamp Program beginning October 1. From a change in name to ways to increase benefits. Take a look below for a quick update. For more information call Suzette Strickland at EHC!
1. Name Change
The Food Stamp Program's name has officially changed. It is now called the SNAP Program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). Each state has the option to implement the new name or continue using the old one.
The state of Connecticut has adopted the name change. Please be aware that there is a grace period of 7 months for full implementation of the name change. If you have literature that has the old name, you may still use them; however, when printing new materials it is a good idea to refer to the program as "The SNAP Program (formally known as the Food Stamp Program)".
2.) Food Stamp Income Limits have increased.
In order to receive food stamps, a person's income and assets must fall within certain set limits, each year they change. Effective 10/1/08 to 9/30/09, the gross and net income limits and the maximum Food Stamp allotments (Thrifty Food Plan) can be found on the DSS website.
3.) Child Care Cap Deduction has been lifted.
There will no longer be a cap on child care expenses; this includes transportation to and from providers.
4.) Asset Exemptions
All tax deferred retirement accounts and savings accounts earmarked for education are exempt from the asset limit.
5.) Increased Minimum Benefit
After 30 years, the minimum benefit of $10 has been increased to $14. There is also room for additional increases with benefits indexed to inflation.
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New Britain has New Breakfast!
New Britain Public Schools are on a roll in expanding their Breakfast in the Classroom program. Serving breakfast in the classroom has been found to reach more children than traditional cafeteria feeding by making breakfast more accessible to the entire student body.
New Britain's success started in North End Elementary School with a 2006-2007 pilot in-classroom breakfast program as result of the 2005-2006 legislative session. North End was serving 98 breakfasts per day prior to the start of the pilot, and by the end of the school year the count quickly rose to 234. In addition, The New England Food and Dairy Council awarded a first prize Expanding Breakfast Award to North End for their remarkable increases in participation. Since then, in-classroom breakfast has been implemented in four additional New Britain schools. Increases in participation are exhibited by the following chart:
School Districts all over Connecticut are experimenting with in-classroom breakfast and seeing similar results. School breakfast helps students focus and perform better on tests. Anything that encourages breakfast AND academic achievement is okay in our book!
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Expanding Breakfast Awards
The New England Food and Dairy Council is now accepting applications for the 2008 Expanding Breakfast Awards. Expanding Breakfast programs are programs that reach beyond traditional cafeteria feeding. Types include breakfast in the classroom, grab and go, and breakfast after first period. If your school is finding success with an Expanding Breakfast program, consider applying for an award. You could win $5,000 for your school! Click here for more information.
Applications will be accepted until November 14, 2008, and winners will be announced in December 15, 2008.
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| EHC! Institutional Outreach Continues:
Dept. of Correction
EHC! is working at many levels and through many communities addressing the food needs of people in institutional settings. A very busy part of the work is through the State Department of Corrections (DOC) where we have forged relationships with the Connecticut Offender Re-Entry program. This program is a Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) initiative that focuses services on those inmates who have a diagnosed mental illness and works for pre and post-released individuals. EHC! is providing specific food stamp and emergency food information to staff and clients and updating contents of the program curriculum. We will be in six institutions over the next eight weeks working with 100 inmates at a time to get them appropriate food stamp and application information.
EHC! is also part of a broader outreach discussion with the Food and Nutrition Service representatives in D.C. in an effort to create both a supplement to the Food Stamp Toolkit (a reference tool for advocates and clients) and a listserv dedicated to prison and institutional issues facing eligible applicants. A general goal of our outreach is to identify and train as many advocates and people who are able to directly connect people with this important program.
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Seeking Board Member Candidates
As a nonprofit organization, End Hunger Connecticut! is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The Board's job is to determine the mission and vision of the organization and develop goals and plans that will move us toward that mission. The Board has the "buck stops here" responsibility to make sure that the organization operates ethically, efficiently, and effectively and stays focused on our mission to eliminate hunger in the state.
The EHC! Board of Directors is currently doing some work to sharpen their skills in those areas and to bring some new voices to the table to help us in this important work. The Board is seeking prospective volunteers who are committed to ending hunger through legislative and administrative advocacy, outreach, and public education. Board members are needed from a variety of places around the state, with a variety of skills and backgrounds, and most important, with the time and passion for this important work.
The EHC! Board meets six times per year, all during the work day and currently all in Hartford. All Board members are expected to also serve on a committee. The time commitments include several hours every month in meetings and the preparation for meetings. Board members are also expected to attend various events, to become a member of EHC!, to make a personal financial contribution over and above the membership fee, to help raise funds for EHC!'s work, and to keep up-to-date about the organization and the issue of hunger so that they can inform others about the important work of EHC!
Currently, the EHC! Nominating Committee is interviewing potential candidates for election to the Board at our annual meeting in December. If you would like to be considered please send a resume or biography, along with an expression of your interest to the Nominating Committee in care of Lucy Nolan, Executive Director.
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Mark your calendars! 
Important Events and Conferences
9/22- 9/23 "Prospering Communities, Thriving Families"-Rocky Hill Marriott
This conference not only will inspire all of us who attend but outlines concrete and doable programs we can take back to our communities to create opportunities for Connecticut families (and their communities) to be stronger and self-sufficient. Please join us! For additional information visit CAFCA's web-site - click here! Registration information and a detailed agenda are available there.
10/4 Fall Festival at Auer Farm in Bloomfield
Join us for the 2008 Fall Festival at Auer Farm in Bloomfield. This event promises to be an incredible event for children, families, neighbors, and Friends of the Farm. For more information visit www.auerfarm.org.
10/27 Northeast Regional Anti-Hunger Network's (NERAHN) Anti-Hunger Program and Policy Conference-Shrewsbury, MA
Join fellow outreach workers and advocates from around the region as we share many innovative and exciting anti-hunger programs and policies to decrease hunger in our communities. Please go to NERAHN's web-site (click here) for more information and to register for this exciting conference!
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Lucy Nolan
End Hunger Connecticut! |
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