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Hunger Solutions Minnesota Introduces New Solution to AlleviateHunger

The need for food assistance has increased due to the current economic environment. Rising joblessness, health care costs, a deepening recession and impending safety-net cuts are leaving many Minnesotans with less income for food. Without food assistance, families and seniors often cut back on meals or meal quality.

In response to the rising need, Hunger Solutions Minnesota (HSM) will launch the Minnesota Food HelpLine that will provide a vital service to Minnesotans at risk for hunger. The Minnesota Food HelpLine (1-888-711-1151) will help enroll low-income Minnesotans in the Food Support (Food Stamps) program and help callers find emergency food assistance in their area. HSM will provide multilingual Food Support application assistance and eligibility screening for callers statewide.

Food Support is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to Colleen Moriarty, Executive Director of HSM, Food Support is the foundation of the nutrition safety net. It provides a vital supplement for low income households to buy the food they need for good health. If enrollment increases, that will add millions in federal assistance to Minnesota. This will take some pressure off of the weakened state budget.

Hunger is on the rise in Minnesota. Visits to food shelves in the 9-county metro increased 42% year to date in February. On average, Food shelves statewide report a 31% increase. As a way to help meet the demand for food in communities, HSM and its partner food shelves, recommend that people struggling with hunger and poverty screen themselves for public program benefits. A main component of the Minnesota Food HelpLine is to reach the Minnesotans who may not realize they are eligible, are reluctant to participate, or experience difficulties during the application process.

The Food Stamp (Food Support in Minnesota) program was recently renamed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Food Support provides low income families at risk for hunger with more choices, less stigma, self sufficiency and more consumer power. Because of the Federal Economic Stimulus, beginning April 1, the food support benefits increased by 13.5%. For individuals, the stimulus plan adds $24 a month to their benefits. In Minnesota, the average monthly benefit for a household is $195.58.

The most recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveal an increase in Minnesotans enrolled in Food Support. In February 2009, there were 327,357 individuals enrolled. That represents a year to date percent increase of 12.2%. Even with this increase, the state estimates that only 68% of those that are eligible for Food Support are participating in the program. Approximately eighty percent of eligible seniors are not enrolled due to a variety of barriers and misconceptions about eligibility.

Highlights of the toll-free Minnesota Food Helpline are:

Food Support Eligibility Screening

*Callers will be screened for eligibility for the Food Support program using the online Bridge to Benefits tool developed by Children'ss Defense Fund - Minnesota.

Food Support Application Assistance

*A wide variety of questions regarding the Food Support application will be answered as well as ensuring callers know the appropriate documentation to provide at their interview.

Helpline Hours

*The helpline will be answered Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The goal is to eventually expand the hours of the helpline to include evening and weekend hours. After-hours callers will be able to leave a voice mail message that will be returned the following business day.

Languages

*The Minnesota Food HelpLine will be answered by speakers fluent in Spanish and English. For other language speakers, we will work with a translation service over the phone.

HSM'ss Minnesota Food Helpline (1-888-711-1151) will be accepting calls June 1st, 2009.

http://www.hungersolutions.org/

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