Client Story: Charlene

Published by Caitlyn McIntosh  ~   0

Client Story: Charlene

By Emily Gallion, Grant & Metrics Manager/Advocacy Manager, and Caitlyn McIntosh, SNAP/Outreach Lead

Client interview by Katie Heinkel, Mobile Pantries and Data Entry Assistant

Staff at The Foodbank recently had the opportunity to talk to Charlene, a Foodbank client, at our on-site Drive Thru Food Pantry.

Charlene, who is 62, attended The Foodbank’s Drive Thru March 25 to pick up her Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) box. She brought her neighbor, who is also enrolled in the program, to pick up her box as well.

CSFP, also known as the Senior Food Box program, is a United States Department of Agriculture program that distributes food to low-income seniors so that they can have a balanced, healthy diet. The Foodbank facilitates food distribution for this program, which is administered by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Food assistance is especially important to older adults, who are at higher risk for complications related to food insecurity. Food insecure seniors are more likely to underutilize prescribed medications, face limitations in activity, and experience chronic health conditions.

Charlene has been enrolled in CSFP for two years now. She said she likes everything that comes in the box, but her favorite is the block cheese, which she said makes good grilled cheese and mac and cheese. In addition to the items in the box, which are primarily shelf stable, The Foodbank distributes bonus food items on days we host our CSFP distributions.

She said she was at the Drive Thru to make sure she had enough food for herself and the kids. Currently, she has four people living in her household, and she is living on a fixed income. She has a total of 7 grandkids.

“You’ve got to do what you have to do when you have kids,” she said.

Charlene said she likes using The Foodbank’s Drive Thru because it is convenient. Because staff places the food in clients’ vehicles, she doesn’t have to worry about getting out of the car and carrying groceries.

This was our Drive Thru’s original purpose: to provide an accessible way for CSFP clients, many of whom have mobility challenges, to pick up their food boxes. Over time, the purpose of the Drive Thru has expanded to include disaster relief and more widespread food assistance, but we still host weekly CSFP Drive Thrus.

Charlene encouraged everyone who needed help with food to seek it out.

“Don’t be ashamed, because everyone needs help,” she said. “Times are hard, and we are all here in the same boat, so you don’t have to be embarrassed.”

In March, The Foodbank distributed 973 CSFP boxes in Montgomery and Greene County. To qualify for this program, you must be over the age of 60 and have an income at or below 130% of the federal poverty line. To check if you qualify and to obtain an application, visit http://thefoodbankdayton.org/needfood/.

Questions? Contact Program Manager Katie Ly at (937) 461-0265 x33 or Kly@thefoodbankdayton.org.

The Foodbank gifts box truck to Wesley Community Center

Published by Caitlyn McIntosh  ~   1

The Foodbank gifts box truck to Wesley Community Center

How we are continuing to grow our agency capacity work to better serve the Miami Valley

By: Emily Gallion, Grant & Metrics Manager/Advocacy Manager, and Caitlyn McIntosh, Outreach/SNAP Lead

While The Foodbank’s direct service programs, such as the Drive Thru food pantry and our Mobile Farmers Markets, receive a lot of attention, the heart of our mission is still the daily acquisition and distribution of food.

In September, our Drive Thru and mobiles served a total of 5,158 households, while our partner agency food pantries alone served 14,295 families. By acquiring and distributing food for these food pantries as well as soup kitchens, emergency shelters, and other hunger relief organizations, we magnify our impact across the Miami Valley.

Additionally, while our primary mission is to provide food to people experiencing food insecurity, our partner agencies work directly in their respective communities. Many of them provide services far beyond food assistance, such as financial assistance, which makes them better positioned to address the root causes of poverty.

But our partner agencies face challenges of their own. Many of them are staffed by older individuals who are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill due to COVID-19. At the height of the pandemic, only 75 of our 120 partner agencies were still open and serving people. 

So how do we support the work our partner agencies do? With capacity building support such as helping our partner agencies apply for grant funding, re-granting funding to them, and donating used equipment. At the height of COVID-19-related closures, we re-granted over $190,000 to the partner agencies that remained open to support their work.

Most recently, The Foodbank was able to donate a refrigerated box truck to the Wesley Community Center, one of our partner agencies. The Wesley Center operates a food pantry and Kids Cafe meal site. We selected the winner of the truck with a raffle.

 

 

Wesley Center staff received their truck at an October 14 key turnover event.

The mission of the Wesley Community Center is to meet the spiritual and basic needs of families of all ages offering assistance in education and training, employment, and human assistance in transitioning families toward self-sufficiency. 

The Wesley Center was established in 1966 as a response to the Civil Rights movement to bring the Miami Valley together in a time of unrest. They were founded under what is now known as the Miami Valley District of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and continue to be a safe haven for Dayton area families in times of need. 

Cheryl Cole of the Wesley Center said the box truck will enable the center to host off site food distributions for families that have difficulty getting to a pantry. It will also allow the center to provide food for seniors living in senior apartments and villages.

“Having this truck opens a whole new door for Wesley to serve the surrounding communities,” Cheryl Cole of the Wesley Center said. 

The Foodbank acquires and distributes food to 116 other agencies just like the Wesley Center. As part of our commitment to shortening our line, we also want to make sure our agencies have everything they need to make that possible as well.

The heart of the work we do is centered around our agencies and the incredible staff and volunteers that help make it happen. We will continue to say time and time again that hunger does not work in silos. It stems from many issues such as mental illness, domestic violence, homelessness — the list goes on. With the help of our agencies, we know that if we combat hunger, we can then begin the fight to address the other social determinants that lead to a healthy life.

Given the volume of agencies we work with, we can always find a pantry or other program that fits your schedule. You can locate a pantry near you by calling 937-238-5132. A full list of agencies is available on our website. 

To learn more about the Wesley Center and its mission, visit their website.