Concordance explains food resources available

Concordance explains food resources available
Aid ranges from food stamps to farmers markets
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH — Food resources in Monmouth County were the topic of the monthly meeting of the Long Branch Concordance.

The discussion took place at the Long Branch Higher Education Learning Center of Brookdale Community College on April 15 and was led by LBC Outreach Director Emma Cabãn.

The discussion featured four panelists from different Monmouth County organizations who covered topics ranging from applying for food stamps to farmers market programs.

Cathy Joyce, Monmouth County Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, Robin McRoberts, WIC program manager, Laurel King, the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and Ida Hopson, Triumphant Life Church, each led a presentation, explaining their organization and what they are doing to help people in need.

"WIC does a lot with pregnant women, women breast feeding, and toddlers up to the month of their fifth birthday," McRoberts said.

WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, serves to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk, by providing nutritious foods.

"We don't just deal with nutritional aspects. We register people to vote. You name it, and it seems to be dumped onto WIC. I guess Congress knows people come to WIC," she said.

McRoberts also explained the income guidelines to be eligible for assistance from WIC.

"You have to be within 185 percent of the poverty line," McRoberts explained. "If you're in WIC, it doesn't necessarily mean that you are eligible for food stamps."

McRoberts also went on to explain the Farmers Market Program that WIC is a part of in season.

"Those who meet the income requirements are eligible for $20 of locally grown fruits and vegetables from certain farmers markets," McRoberts said.

King explained that the FoodBank has been hit hard by the declining economic situation.

"Unfortunately, the economy has affected us," King said. "We are in desperate need of supplies."

King also stated that while the main purpose of the Food Bank is to feed people in need, that is not all that the organization does.

"We are in the business of networking with people," King said. "We have resources and programs available that go beyond just the food part of the program."

The FoodBank has also hired a parttime Spanish-speaking language coordinator, something King said the organization had been sorely missing.

"We service a lot of Latinos in our communities," King said. "We finally got a bilingual language coordinator. While she is only part time, it has still helped us a lot."

Hopson's presentation focused on food stamps.

One of the ways her program helps people in need of food stamps is to develop a relationship with the clients.

"We make face-to-face appointments with the people applying for food stamps," Hopson said. "We like to identify the client and develop a relationship with them. We find this is easier to know about the person and know about their story. We can make renewals over the phone within minutes, but the initial application must be done in person."

Hopson went on to explain the maximum income requirements to be eligible for food stamps.

For a single-person household, the maximum monthly income is $1,127. For a family of two it is $1,517, a family of three is $1,907, and for a family of four the maximum income is $2,297.

The final presentation was made by Joyce, who discussed roadside fruit and vegetable stands. Her presentation included dates when fruits grown in New Jersey are the ripest, and websites that provide more information about fruits and vegetables.

The Long Branch Concordance finds resources for people in need, fosters individual and family development, and creates partnerships for community wellbeing. The LBC Family Success Center is located at 279 Broadway, Suite 301, Long Branch.

For more information about the LBC, call Cabãn at 732-571-1670 or visit the website at http://www.lbc4help.org.

Contact Kenny Walter at

kwalter@gmnews.com.


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