Arlington County Department of Human Services Receives 2011 Hunger Champion Award

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lynn Brantley, President and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB),  announced that the Arlington County Department of Human Services (DHS) has been awarded the 2011 Hunger Champion Bronze Award  by the US Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services. Arlington Country DHS was nominated for the award by the CAFB's Public Policy Project.

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Brantley said, "Our partnership with Arlington County DHS is an example of how nonprofits such as the CAFB and government agencies should work together to bring needed assistance to our community.  During the hunger crisis we are facing, we are gratified to be working with Arlington County's DHS to increase awareness of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP formerly known as Food Stamps)  and provide solutions for those in need. Together we have worked to raise SNAP participation in the county to 40 percent for those eligible to receive benefits. This is a major accomplishment, but we still have a long way to go."  

Arlington County's Public Assistance Bureau Chief Mary Katherine D'Addario holds regular meetings with the CAFB to improve SNAP outreach in the county and address hunger issues.

Her bureau processes SNAP applications well within the 30-day allotment period, resulting in a quick turn-around time for applicants in need of the benefits.  Her office also administers phone waivers which enable applicants to have the required interview over the phone.

The CAFB's Public Policy and Community Outreach team works closely with Arlington County to deliver SNAP information to the public. The joint effort includes having a Spanish speaking eligibility worker in the community to ensure that language barriers do not exclude participation.

Other agencies in the CAFB's region that received national Hunger Champion 2011 awards are: Fairfax County Department of Human Services; the Income Maintenance Administration in Washington, D.C.; and Prince George's County Department of Social Services in Landover.

The Capital Area Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, was founded in 1980 and takes a comprehensive approach to addressing hunger by increasing access to nutritious food, initiating change through skill-building and advocacy, and creating sustainability with outreach and training for those at risk of hunger. The CAFB is the Washington metro area's largest public, nonprofit food and nutrition education resource.

For more information, please contact:
Page Crosland
Capital Area Food Bank
202-526-5344 ext. 316
202-529-1253 fax
[email protected]

SOURCE Capital Area Food Bank

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