Food Stamp Outreach
The Food Bank of Northern Nevada helps people in need apply for food stamps. Roughly half of Nevadans who are eligible for food stamps actually receive them. Required face-to-face interviews, overwhelmed case workers, a difficult and lengthy application process, and lack of transportation are some of the main reasons eligible people might not apply for food stamps. Without extra help, many low income families find themselves not only having trouble staying afloat, but slowly starting to go under. Food Bank employees are out in the community helping people get connected with benefits. For a schedule of where they will be click here: SNAP Outreach Calendar .
Rosalina, age 73, lives on Social Security of $559.00 per month and was working at a senior center part time to help pay her rent and utilities. She had fallen and was unable to work for several months when she finally called the Food Bank for help. When she was interviewed, she was hoping to return to work within the next five weeks. She was approved for $95 in food stamp nutrition benefits for one month until she returned to work. She is now back working at the senior center and no longer receiving assistance.
The Food Bank’s Food Stamp Outreach program has been working to help make the process of applying for and receiving food stamps easier. The Food Bank received a federal waiver and has been approved as a “Trusted Partner” by the Nevada Division of Welfare and Social Services. This special status allows the Food Bank’s Outreach staff to conduct food stamp application interviews with potential clients and to provide application assistance. This increases the chance that eligible people will be approved for the food stamps they need because someone is available to help them complete it accurately.
In Nevada, half of all food stamp benefits are used by children. This statistic highlights the importance of everything the Food Stamp Outreach Program does and shows exactly how vital application guidance is to ensuring that low income children are fed.
Food Stamps generate economic activity in our local communities
The Food Stamp Program brings federal dollars into communities in the form of benefits which are redeemed by food stamp participants at local grocery stores. These benefits ripple throughout the economies of the community, state and nation.
Did you know?
Every $5 in new food stamp benefits generates $9.20 in total community spending.
Every additional dollar’s worth of food stamp benefits generates 17 to 47 cents of new spending on food.
On average, $1 billion of retail food demand by food stamp recipients generates 3,300 farm jobs.
For more information about the Food Stamp Outreach Program, schedule of the Outreach sites, or if you know someone in need of Food Stamp Nutrition Benefits, please call Kelly Nowak at (775) 331-3663 or email knowak@fbnn.org. **Please note: If you are e-mailing in regards to receiving food stamp benefits, please include a phone number to reach you at (if possible) so that we may contact you in a timely manner.