It is time to again post an update about the progress and activities of the Springfield Office of Catholic Social Services and the Second Harvest Foodbank. Thanks to the one of the best and strongest groups of staff we have ever had, the agency is doing well. Going to work every day is rewarding, fun, challenging, and stimulating. We work to continually improve the quality of our services provided to our clients and implement innovative solutions to the changing needs of our clients.

One of the highlights of the year has been the introduction of the new Benefit Bank program. This is a new electronic web-based program operating in only seven states designed to help clients sign up for qualified benefits. It even allows us to prepare and file client’s tax returns with the IRS. In the first year, Catholic Social Services helped over 120 families apply for $448,759 in benefits. We had the third highest amount of money returned to our local community of the twelve pilot sites in Ohio. A family of one adult with two children and earned income of $15,000 can receive over $5,000 in additional income from the Earned Income and other tax credits, food stamps, HEAP and medical coverage. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has been a strong proponent of the Benefit Bank because every year over 1.5 billion dollars of tax credits, food stamps and other federal benefits go unused in Ohio. The Governor views the program as a targeted economic development tool that will help strengthen local economies and encourage asset creation. The advantage for Ohio is that families that need the money can get it and spend it here in Ohio helping the economy. In October, Clark County was listed as a labor surplus county for the second year in a row (meaning there are more people looking for work than there are jobs). Low and moderate income families can benefit greatly from these funds in our area.

The Second Harvest Foodbank program staff is working hard to keep a good supply of food available to our member agencies. It is a challenge because national and local donations are down. Emerging countries worldwide are not only using more steel and other consumer products but they are also consuming more food which reduces the amount of food available for donation to foodbanks nationwide. Many food companies are reporting double digit sales increases in the world markets.

Simultaneously, this was the first year we have experienced reduced inventories of surplus and regular USDA food to distribute to seniors, children, and families. The State Of Ohio receives a grant to purchase USDA product through the ECOS system. Last year a semi of USDA Green Beans cost $7,000, this year it is $12,000 and a semi of frozen Chicken was $26,000 and is now $34,000. With the increased prices, the same allocation does not have the same buying power. Some of the other causes of the reduction in USDA supplies come from weather related issues and some from the production of ethanol. Higher fuel and grain prices have increased the price of dairy products, meats and other foods. There have also been a number of food recalls this year involving shrimp, green beans, canned meat with chili, hamburger, salad and others. During the Castleberry recall we had surprise visits from six different state, federal and USDA inspectors. We had about 400 cases of Castleberry product on the voluntary recall list and none from the mandatory list. One of the federal inspectors ruled on how to dispose of the product. We also voluntarily mailed a precautionary letter to 200 people who had received the voluntary listed items the previous month.

Nationally, America’s Second Harvest has done a great job this year helping to promote special projects to increase awareness and generate additional donations. The American Idol project raised over $7,000,000 for Second Harvest Foodbanks nationwide. Each foodbank will receive at least $10,000 if they complete the application. As a result of our timely completion, the Springfield area will receive $11,351. Additionally, Wal-mart did a special project for our children’s backpack program and over the Holidays there are several national promotions going on with Steak and Shake, Arm and Hammer, ConAgra, Kroger, Panera etc.

Our green projects include our use of bio-diesel as well as recycling cardboard and plastic bags. This is our third winter using a wood-burning furnace to heat the warehouse, using donated wood products that would otherwise be waste in a landfill.

In summary, we have seen a lot of exciting change and we continue to pledge use of our creative energy and professional staff to design and implement innovative solutions to the changing needs of our clients. Our mission remains “To enhance the well being of people by providing unmatched services” and our vision is to be recognized as the community leader in helping people.

Sincerely,

Vincent G. Chase
Regional Director