Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a grant agreement with the Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resource Center (CRC) in support of the Family Services and Choice Food Pantry.
CRC’s Family Services and Choice Food Pantry provided a record nearly half million (450,000+) meals to hungry neighbors from 66 zip codes in 2017. This figure does not include the thrice-weekly community dinners and sack lunches CRC provided. Refugees and immigrants make up 40% of Family Services clients. Some clients include homeless families, but many are “working poor” with insufficient income to meet basic needs. Many decide between paying bills and feeding their children.
Of U.S. families visiting pantries, 55% are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Of remaining 45% of households, 13% are eligible for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and federal school lunches. Thus, approximately 32% rely solely on agencies like CRC. In a household survey, 57% of CRC’s clients indicated that their family did not have enough food to eat for at least one day out of each month. With every pantry visit, families receive 7-10 days of shelf-stable food and access to weekly fresh produce. On average, CRC hands out 10,000 pounds of fresh produce per week through a partnership with the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.
CRC is a neighborhood-based settlement house with a wide array of service and 45 years of experience. Clients know that when emergency food needs are met, CRC Family Services can then provide help and referrals for housing, clothing, finances and other necessities. CRC provides critical services for families in need, and this grant support will help to ensure the sustainability of programming.
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a grant agreement with the Clintonville-Beechwold Community Res...
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