Food Stamp Challenge!

Despite the fact that I am already on food assistance, I am participating in an office-wide "Food Stamp Challenge."  Here is an overview:

Everyday individuals all of Ohio call the Ohio Benefit Bank hotline, come into the Site Support Office for the Ohio Benefit Bank, or visit an Ohio Benefit Bank counselor because they find that they are having difficulty surviving the difficult economic circumstances.  Unemployment benefits are expiring for many Ohioans, and they will turn to Food Assistance and other programs to meet their basic needs.  In an effort to show solidarity with the people whom we seek to serve, we are challenging the staff of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks to live off of a food stamp diet. 

For one week, starting August 13^th, we are challenging you to take part in the challenge and live on the nationwide average food stamp benefit.  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nationwide average benefit in FY2005 was $94.05 per month, per person, or approximately $3 a day.  

Do you think you can do it?  Do you think you can:

1.       Only spend a total of $21 on food and beverages during the week

2.       Follow SNAP rules as to what can be purchased and only shop at stores that accept EBT cards. (No prepared foods, no dining out)

3.       During the Challenge, only eat food that your purchase for this project.  Do not eat food that you already own (except for spices and condiments)

4.       Avoid accepting free food or beverages at work.

5.       Please keep track of receipts on food spending and take note of your experiences throughout the week

The office will be recording their experiences on the intranet, but I'll keep blogging  on here about the Challenge.  If YOU want to particiapte starting August 13, I would love to include some guests posts or your thoughts about your own experience trying to live on the above guidelines, even if just for one day.

“Change will not wait for some other person or some other time. We are the one’s we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek!”

-President Obama

 

Family First

If you watched the Dateline special on poverty in SE Ohio, you would have met a woman named Sunny.  First of all, I think it would be a lot of pressure to be named after a disposition.  For this woman, her outlook on life and the finer things, like self actualization that could produce that "sunny disposition," take a back burner to other issues.  Like food.  And shelter. 

Sunny, during most of the 9 months Ann Curry followed the community, lived in a house with 14 other people.  She moved in with her husband and children to her parents home because her father become ill.  She quit her job to do this.

Honestly, my first thoughts upon watching this included words like "irresponsible" and "crazy."  Now, I love my parents dearly (Hi Mom and Dad!) but I don't think they would even approve of me quitting a job to move in and care for them.  I think we would try to work something out, leaning on a wider network of friends, family, neighbors, church, etc to care for the sick person.

That's how I was raised.  Now, we're not a "live to work" family, where we value work above family or self.  I would even say we are the opposite, where we align with the "work to live" mindset, working only to make sure we can pay for things, to sustain the family responsibly, to plan for the future.

What happens, though, if I hadn't grown up in my particular family?  What happens if I was never taught to save, to plan for the future, to make "smart" decisions in light of my economic and social situation?  What happens if my culture values family, and the care of elders, above anything else?

I've seen it happen before on mission trips to Appalachia.  There was a group of families living in what I can only describe as a "holler,"  surrounded by shells of rusted out cars and crowded with chickens, beagles, and numerous family members.  Two of the men in the family were out of work, and couldn't keep a job when they got one, because they consistently put their family first.  When their mother was sick, they took care of her and working took a back seat.

I'm not making excuses for people, there are many decisions and turns to take in life.  But I do think it is very, very important for people who would lay judgment on those who act (in their eyes) irresponsibly to consider differing cultures and varied orders of priorities in the people they may see on television. 

People get in tough situations, but instead of judging and griping, we need to continue work to build sustainable lifestyles and communities, educating on self-sufficiency.  If we turn our backs and shun people who are different, people who we think are "less" because they act differently than we expect them to, the problem of poverty can not and will not just go away.  As Zach preaches, we have to be proactive (in building lives), not reactive (to individual situations.)

NBC Dateline feature: America Now - Friends and Neighbors.

I feel like I am a part of truly making a difference with  OASHF and the Ohio Benefit Bank tool.  My program is also the largest VISTA program in the entire Mid-west, so that's kind of exciting as well.  What's more exciting?  Ann Curry travling to SE Ohio to report on poverty, feauturing people that work with OASHF and have benefitted from the OBB. 

THIS is an article about the news story.

There is a preview of the news feature HERE, but if you want to watch the entire thing when it airs, tune in to NBC Dateline this Sunday at 7 pm.  It's called "America Now - Friends and Neighbors."

NBC's Ann Curry travels to Ohio to examine poverty in the heartland, where the hardworking poor are increasingly seen in food pantry lines ashamed and angry.

Push the Limits. Turn off my brain.

One may think that to push the limits, ones brain should be ON and firing.  But for me to get up and present about the OBB for the very first time, expecting 15 people, seeing 75, I have to turn my brain off.  For me to cold call around 70 organizations in three counties and try to convince them to let me talk long enough to tell them about the Benefit Bank, I have to turn my brain off.  I can't think about what I am doing, I just have to do it.  As long as I am moderately successful, that's the plan.  Brain off, plow forward.

Image credit: boltonspeakersclub.org.uk

Swag

Look everyone, I got my very own snazzy new shirt!

They gave me clothes, yet I still have to deal out business cards that look like this:

 

It's all so very exciting and official.

First Training and Humorous Discoveries

Considering my mother now reads my blog is gets nervous when she sees the last post containing the words "I think I'm going to throw up," I'll quickly update everyone. All five of you.

My first training actually went well. There were two deaf women from Deaf Services, so it was a little awkward to have them facing away from me and watching the interpreter the entire time. I took sign language in college so I know some basics, but I can barely explain public benefits aloud in English let alone by signing. There rest of the group was comprised of women, pretty typical in the non-profit world I hate to say.


Zach sat in to observe and make sure I didn't steer the trainees completely off track. It was a great comfort to have him there and defer questions to. There are so many intricacies in public benefits. This is a position dealing directly with people, so there will always been differing circumstances and I will never have all the answers. (As hard as I try, I am a perfectionist)  I only had to defer to him a couple times, and he only had a few corrections and clarifications at the end.  Woohoo!

My lips were numb by lunch (seriously, how do people do this all day?), but all in all it was positive.  Gosh, it better have been positive considering this is my main job description!  I only have one more observation next week before I am officially certified.

In other news, I attended a presentation with Zach at a pregnancy care center here in Columbus.  While we were waiting, I found a brochure in their lobby entitled "10 Reason NOT to get pregnant."  Number seven on that list?

You could DIE.

I am not kidding you.  It had more explanation, I think linking contracting HIV/AIDS from having sex, but I was too distracted by their clever scare tactics to take note.


I'll leave it at that, as I'm sure this job will lead to plenty of other fantastic discoveries over the next year.  Like this!

(If you can't read it, the organization is trying to call itself HOPE, gaining the acronym from Helping Our young People connEct with God).  Yeah...

It's Here

Today is my first time leading the 6 hour training. I think I'm going to throw up. That is all.

Other VISTA/OBB blogs

I want to give credit where credit is due by linking out to the various blogs by VISTAs in the area and from OBB's Mobile Unit team that entertained and informed me in the first couple weeks of my position. Some bloggers are ending their terms, others are just beginning, and the mobile unit continues to have adventures all across Ohio. Enjoy!

525,600 Minutes: Measuring a Year as a Vista

My Life as a VISTA

Making [social] Change

Ohio Benefit Bank Mobile Express

Visualization!

I love data visualization and using media/art to understand concepts. Check out this Wordle (word cloud) I created from OASHF's About Us webpage:

Training Oberservation

Can't...stuff...more....information...into my head. I am sitting in my second training observation today, as preparation to take the reins and train my very own group of fledgling OBB counselors next week. Please keep in mind, this is a 6 hour training. Six. Hours. I currently have 8 pages of supplemental notes to help me through the guidebook. Jessica Mays, the regional coordinator for Southeast Ohio is actually facilitating this training in our Direct Service Office in downtown Columbus. I am mainly writing down her jokes to use in my trainings, as I am not witty, and these trainings have a tendency to put people to sleep. (I'm not kidding, at every training I have been to at least one person is conked out, unconscious, or at least nodding heavily for a couple of minutes. Fun to watch.) So I need entertaining material. What do you guys think of this one Jessica used?
“Has anyone ever had to do the FAFSA? Scale of 1-10, how awesome was it? I found it to be about minus 3, personally”

I promise, it's funny in person.

It also illustrates the importance of the Benefit Bank. Every time I learn more about all the benefits, how you apply for them and who administers them, it seems more daunting for people who need them. The Benefit Bank helps people apply so they have access to federal money to spend HERE IN OHIO to boost local economies. Beware, I am becoming a walking billboard for OBB. Only because it's so fantastic!

Outreach Research Begins

I wish residents in the counties I am trying to research would write a blog, or a paper, or keep an online journal about “life in Champaiagn county!” or perhaps “The state of non profits and the economy of my county, and ideas I have for outreach!”  I wish it was that easy.  I am left to spend hours looking over government websites interpreting census data and weeding through the “come visit us! We’re so fun!” marketing fronts on the county websites. (Champaign county actually has a pretty impressive site: http://www.champaignohio.com/)  It’s all just a little daunting at this point because it should be obvious that I cannot get a picture of a community, or even an organization, without being a part of it and creating relationships in person.  This holds true with any organization: you never know how it really works until you are a part of it.  So I need to start building relationships in each of the three (very rural) counties I am focusing on, to get a taste of the mindsets and situations of the people.  Then I can begin creating outreach strategies to make the OBB network stronger, with an end goal of having enough organizations as OBB sites to help residents access benefits they need.  How in the world am I supposed to get this all in one year?

I guess this is where the sustainability part of being a VISTA comes in. As I am doing research, making contacts, and developing producers I am documenting what I do. This way the next VISTA can take a couple of weeks to figure everything out and jump right in where I left off.  At least, that is the hope.  

All this will have to wait at least one more day, because in T-minus 45 minutes I am leaving for a meeting (read: party) at the beach with other VISTAs from my area.  As my term just began, some of their terms are ending soon, so we are reviewing experiences and bonding!  Why is it that so many organizations I become involved in are focused on “bonding?”  I’ll call it networking with fantastic peers who I can gain expertise and energy from to last out the rest of my own term.

Direct vs Indirect Service

9:30 every morning like clockwork, my stomach creates a ruckus that disturbs my work as I’m sure everyone around me. Why is it so needy? My trip to the break room to stave off hunger with a cup of coffee reminds me that I am finally part of this elusive “adult world” of office buildings that have water colors and break rooms with coffee (as opposed to my entire job consisting of making and handing out that coffee). The other difference is my work now consisting of indirect service, where before I was only doing direct service. Basically this means before I was hanging out with people, playing with kids, interacting with the community, giving out meals, etc, where now I am on an organizational level, building capacity and connecting organizations and people with tools. I can’t get a clear picture yet of which type I prefer, though granted I have only been at this less than a month. Already in my indirect role I feel like I can see results better, as I am dealing more with numbers equated to success.

Faith Mission

Yesterday I went to visit Faith Mission, which despite the fact that it is mainly housed in a neat old church downtown and displays pictures of Jesus like this one : (JesusNeedsNewPR picture), informs me that their services are not faith based. They are doing a great job of sheltering and feeding strangers, so they are practicing some good doctrine anyways. In reality, they are going above and beyond servicing their community. In addition to sheltering as many homeless men and women as they can at night, they serve 3 meals a day, provide a computer/phone bank, help people sign up for public benefits with the Benefit Bank (YAY!), and, get this: have a fully equipped vision, dental, and medical care facility. I was floored when I saw the little offices complete with waiting rooms, dental chairs, and those scary eye puff machines. All staffed by volunteer medical providers in the area. Columbus residents, I am so proud of you. This is fantastic stuff!

The only problem, my guide at Faith Mission tells me, is that there is a waiting list every night for beds. This is not a unique situation, every single other shelter in Columbus has people on the street waiting to get in. Every night. The shelters are struggling to build their capacity to meet the needs of their community. It’s funny, they are seeing an increase in the number of people needing help. So are a lot of other emergency help sites across the city. Unemployment checks are also simultaneously to this phenomenon stopping being administered to people who can’t find jobs. It’s funny. And by funny, I hope you know I mean funny in a not-so-much-funny-but-really-sad way.

See this article for more information about losing benefits currently.

'A' for effort to Faith Mission and other organizations like them, tirelessly working to serve the community.

Sticky Notes

My desk is covered in sticky notes. I am doing Norwalk Furniture a huge favor though, as their sticky notes are the only ones I have right now and their name/logo is plastered for all the office to see. As I am still trying to get a system down for scheduling (get email, send response, follow up, put on calendar, clear with Zach, confirm procedure, etc), the sticky notes are essential. I am hoping I will become better versed in organizing all the communication I do, but if little pieces of paper as reminders work best…I’m going to have to buy some more interesting looking pads of paper.

For all you environmentalists out there, rest assured that I ALSO use the digital sticky notes on my desktop. Don’t worry. I’ve definitely cut my use of the wasteful paper stuff down :-)

Goals, plans, and challenges

Yesterday I had a weekly meeting with Zach, where I got to unload all my built up questions. I always have an inner battle (common for an ESFJ like myself), as I pride myself in being self sufficient in motivated, but at the same time ask tons of questions of those around me to solve my curiosity. So having a weekly meeting with Zach allows me an outlet where I avoid emailing and approaching him ten times a day. We also shared anecdotes that help explain concepts from his views on customer service.
(Need to back up here and explain more) > As Zach just stepped up to manage more people in the organization, he is meeting formally with the team to cover his expectations. In the last meeting he went over customer service goals (accurate, accountable, available). I shared about my experience with a past college course in which I had a leadership position and my professor was pretty much non existent, so I had to be proactive (and responsive) in accomplishing our class goals.
Okay, back to the present day, one on one meeting. After shared my exciting news (things like “I had my first voicemail on my phone!” and “I got my first call for a new site!” “I feel important!”), we reviewed my 2 week/4week/2month work plan. I am barreling through the first section as I visit sites in the area and learn more about the Benefit Bank. Zach told me to let him know when I wasn’t feeling challenged anymore and we would have to work out other things for me to do. I for some reason immediately thought that I was off track or not doing what he expected of me and was about to launch into a description of my detailed plans and my completed work. That is, until he said I was accomplishing tasks much quicker than he expected and he just wanted to make sure in the future I was always being challenged. Oh. Okay!

Right now the challenge is to not lead any sites or counselors astray and to represent the Benefit Bank in a professional way. It's inwardly focused, bolstering myself, but I am beginning to see a shift the more I get established. My challenge will soon come out of a solid expertise base and become outwardly focused, ready to conquer my focus counties. Are you ready for this, Franklin/Clark/Champaign/Logan county?

Site visit to prison...

Site visit to Correctional Reception center. I may or may not have gotten lost in a drive in an area with barbed wire where I wasn’t supposed to be. Oh, the adventures of a VISTA.