Project Bread Awards $15,600 to the Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee

November 20, 2008 — EAST BOSTON — Struggling families and elders have support to help them obtain food stamp benefits in this tough economy. Project Bread, the state’s leading antihunger organization, has granted $15,600 to the Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC), a community-based organization offering advocacy assistance for individuals and families who are or may be eligible for federal or state benefits. The grant enables the CEOC to help more families take advantage of the federal Food Stamp Program. The money is part of $229,800 total funding Project Bread recently granted to 18 community organizations to promote food stamp enrollment throughout the state.

“The Project Bread Food Stamp Technology Initiative provides the CEOC with the resources to respond to the increasing need that low-income and working poor families are experiencing as they struggle to balance ‘eating and heating,’” says Elaine DeRosa, executive director. “In a recent CEOC survey to 204 participants, over 95% reported they do not always have enough money to buy food for themselves or their families, or that their family goes without nutritious food.”

This increased demand for food stamp benefits has been driven by the current economic crisis and soaring food prices. The price of bread is up from $1.05 in January 06 to $2.55 this November. During the same period, eggs went from $1.45 to $2.79 and milk from $3.20 to $3.69.

The good news is that recent changes in food stamp policy make more people eligible. In the past, applicants with child or adult daycare expenses could only deduct a portion of their expenses from their income. The policy changes now allow them to deduct all of their child or adult care expenses, often resulting in increased food stamp benefits. Additionally, elders can now deduct out-of-pocket medical expenses, such as co-payments for doctor’s visits and prescription drugs as well as hearing aids and eye glasses, among others things.

“The average monthly benefit for an elder is up to $120,” said Ellen Parker, executive director of Project Bread. “This is $1,440 a year and it can certainly help a senior living on a fixed income buy more nutritious food. Of course, some will receive less and some more, but in this economy, no one should leave almost $1,500 on the table.”

Food stamps are no longer stamps. They come in the form of a debit card, which allows a family to shop for food at their local supermarket. Food stamps help families add fresh produce, whole grains, and lean meat to their diet and enable them to shop when it’s convenient for them, such as before or after work.

“They are a win-win-win,” said Parker, “because they help a family put food on the table while they also bring money to the local economy. That family is spending their benefits to buy food at a grocery store, which helps that grocer and, ultimately, the state. Food stamps are vital to helping families and elders stay healthy this year and Project Bread is investing in ways that help everyone who is eligible take advantage of them.”

With Project Bread’s help, the CEOC can now help clients apply for food stamps right in their neighborhood, using translators if necessary, and with the kind of personalized caring that gets the results. The CEOC uses the state’s Virtual Gateway, an online food stamp application, developed and simplified by the Department of Transitional Assistance.

“Given the current economy, workers in low-wage jobs find themselves with insufficient wages to cover their basic family needs,” says DeRosa. “Project Bread’s funding for food stamp access assistance helps families meet their basic family needs.”

Interested applicants can find the latest information about times and places online at Project Bread’s www.gettingfoodstamps.org and click the button on the left sidebar, “How Do I Apply.”

Where to apply for food stamps online in your community:
Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee
11 Inman Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-868-2900
Application Assistance Available: Monday and Wednesday 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

About Project Bread
As the state’s leading antihunger organization, Project Bread works with community organizations that offer computer access in low-income neighborhoods to make it available to eligible families without computers. Project Bread has trained over 100 community-based organizations across the state, including fuel assistance programs, community health centers, social service agencies, job training programs, and emergency food providers to use the online food stamp application with their clients. The organization is dedicated to alleviating, preventing, and ultimately ending hunger in Massachusetts, and sponsors The Walk for Hunger each year. With the support of the Governor and State Legislature, the organization has invested millions in grants to community organizations that feed children where they live, learn, and play. For more information, visit www.projectbread.org.

About the Federal Food Stamp Program
The Food Stamp Program is a federally funded program that provides benefits to eligible low-income households and individuals. It is aimed at helping individuals and families attain adequate diets, thereby reducing the prevalence of hunger and nutrition-related health problems. Food stamp benefits are distributed in the form of electronic transfer cards, which look like bank cards, and work like cash, to buy food at most grocery stores, supermarkets, and co-ops.