COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION, DIRECTOR BRIEF For leaders whose agencies serve low-income customers

Hunger  Hunger is a serious and often invisible problem in Colorado.  The human and financial impact of our low enrollment rate statewide is a serious problem. Colorado has the 44 th lowest enrollment rate for Food Assistance

Hunger in your Community  Almost 1 in 7 Coloradans lived in poverty during That includes more than 1 in 6 Colorado kids (224,000 children under the age of 18)  Nearly 1 in 6 Coloradans experienced hunger at some point in 2012, meaning that more than 840,000 people faced a time when there was not enough money to buy food for their families or themselves  More than 1 in 5 Colorado households with children (22%) reported food hardship—facing financial challenges to put food on the table— between 2008 and 2012  More than 1 in 4 working families in Colorado do not have enough food to meet their basic needs

Hunger in your Community  61% of older adults are not aware of programs in which they may qualify  Nearly 1 in 7 Colorado seniors were unsure of when or where they would get their next meal at some point in 2010  Colorado has one of the fastest growing rates of childhood poverty in the nation. Between 2002 and 2010, the rate of child poverty increased 86% in the state  Less than 10% of qualifying Colorado seniors are enrolled in SNAP

Hunger Free Colorado Programs  Confidential, statewide, multi-lingual, toll-free number  Screens for all federal nutrition assistance programs  Assist with applications for food stamps (SNAP) and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)  Tailored referrals to private food programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, meals on wheels, farmer’s markets, free nutrition education classes, information on child and senior nutrition programs, etc.

WHAT CAN WE DO TOGETHER  Provide trained application assistance for your customers. Enrolling them via CO Peak at your agency  Help your community increase their access to healthy food  Bring the Mobile Unit to your site if you can schedule customer appointments  Provide you and your agency with talking points, posters, checklists, and training  Provide follow up calls to customers to insure they complete the application process and help trouble-shoot any issues

WHAT CAN WE DO TOGETHER: Partner Roles  Community-based nonprofits serving low-income populations can schedule either the Mobile Unit or Application Assisters to come to your site to enroll your clients – Saves the organization staff time and funding for emergency food – As a trusted partner, you can identify and connect us with customers in need in your community  Host an enrollment event and promote our partnership to other agencies to reach even more eligible but not enrolled families and individuals in your neighborhood  Engage managers and line staff in identifying and supporting enrollment in SNAP via the partnership. Have the case managers schedule appointments and support the customer in arriving to your agency. We will come to any agency that has at least 8 confirmed applicants. Goal is to enroll 8-20 per day.  Hang posters and informational materials in your community agency, partner agencies, and businesses in your community that serve low income individuals and families

Your Neighborhood Food Truck is a 40-ft RV retrofitted to connect families to needed food resources, and enroll in SNAP. The mobile program provides ready access to four computer bays so individuals and families can apply for food assistance, as well as receive one-on-one guidance to complete the application Services include: Providing one-on-one help with SNAP (formerly food stamps) application process Screening for all federal nutrition programs Offering referrals to food pantries and free meals Giving information on child and senior nutrition programs Answering any questions about food assistance Connecting to other partnering agencies Hunger Free Colorado Comes to YOU

How Can You Help Impact the lives of those experiencing hunger by: Identify customers in your agency who are eligible but not enrolled and support them in attending an appointment on a day we are at your agency Engage and inspire your staff to understand the issues of hunger and how we can, collaboratively, make progress toward food security Help us navigate your community to make an even larger impact Find out where your neighbors/community can purchase fresh produce with SNAP benefit Distribute HFC materials to clients and partnering organizations As federal budget cuts occur it is more and more important for agencies like ours to look at how we can best assist our clients with a multi-service approach

Thank You!  Thank you for helping to build awareness about nutrition programs and increasing access to food for many families in Colorado!  Please join us in this effort to alleviate hunger in our state and schedule an event soon!  Questions contact Maryann Long, Food Assistance Program Supervisor at or