Community Action Committee
I called and talked to Annya Thompson she has been working for C.A.C for over 19 years. She does so much to try and help the needy families in Pike County. She told me “The need for the assistance programs they offer is becoming greater each year, and the funding that is available isn’t even close to covering the needs. Some programs get no goverment grants at all.”
The Community Action Committee Social Services Department in Pike County Ohio helps Pike County Families with food, housing, gas, and medicine. In the past year alone C.A.C has seen the need for food alone rise by 100%. They are helping on average 430-565 family’s a month. The funds to cover the expense comes from employee donations, Fema and The Run for Shelter fund raiser typically held the 3rd week of July each year.
In 2005 the fund raiser raised $5,000, but if you’re helping 500 people that $5,000 only supplies ten dollars worth of food for one month for those families. Now think how long could you feed your family or even just yourself on ten dollars? But don’t forget that $5,000 doesn’t go for just food it also has to be used to supply gas for families to go to doctor appointments or work, housing assistance and medicine. There are NO government grants for these needs.
Some people say well there is the food stamp program they can use to buy food. Did you know once a family member starts work the food stamps usually stop right away? Even those who still qualify usually get very little. And every six- months they have to go in for recertification which can cause risk to there job to take a day off work to go. Couldn’t the department of Human Resources do this face to face interview once a year and do one in six months through the mail. Also to support families in their transition from welfare to work couldn’t they give the families two to three months of food stamp benefits to ease the burden on the family.
I’m sure the bigger the city and the bigger the state the worse the problem is. In the state of Ohio each day a child wakes up hungry, another goes to bed hungry, and another goes to school hungry. 309,000 people in Ohio are experiencing hunger of those 129,000 are children. An additional 366,000 children and 480,000 adults live in households that are food short and at risk of experiencing hunger. There are 11,134,722 people in Ohio, 494,254 Ohioans are living in poverty
C.A.C also has a program for the needy to help with winter heating costs. This program is the Emergency Heap Program. Heap stands for Home Energy Assistance Program. It starts in October each year, this program does receive government grants to pay for it. It averages $175-$300 per family and can only be received once a year. This assistance typically only supplies heat for a month or two, There is also the state Heap program which is so backed up each year that some families don’t receive it till March. Most of these families are working minimum wage jobs and paying 400-500 a month in rent plus all there other utilities food and gas to go to work so that doesn’t leave a lot for heat. A lot of these households end up scraping what money they can to get heat in the home. Some close off some there rooms and live in a smaller space so they can use kerosene or electric heater to heat the space and some others end up going cold praying for that State Heap voucher to come through. This year the cost of heating is going up so what are these families going to do to make it through this winter?
C.A.C also provides assistance for seniors. In Pike County alone typically at least 80 seniors a month are assisted with food, medicine and gas. Some of these are Veterans you would think those who risked their life’s to protect us would be taken care of by the government for the rest of their life’s but this is not true. Isn’t it strange how a president is set for life even after leaving office but the ones who fight for this country so we have the right to choose are President aren’t. Is it just me or is something wrong with that picture?
C.A.C also has a Home Care Program for seniors this program is for those over 60 who meet other criteria to get help with bathing, housekeeping and errands. These programs are the Passport and 3b programs. C.A.C receives minimal government assistance for these programs.
Thanks to the help of C.A.C many Pike County Families are assisted with needs most people think America has already over come. As you can see that is not true. It’s not just Pike County that has these problems. It is going on all over American and its getting worse.
I have no problem with helping other countries that are in need if we can, but we need to quit ignoring the problems right here in America. No one in America should have to go hungry, do with out life saving medicine or spend a night cold. It is going on all over American though and it gets worse each year
If a county of 25,000 has over 500 families a month needing food and this doesn’t even count those who don’t ask for help because of pride or whatever the reason then you have to wonder how many total in America are going hungry.
C.A.C needs all the help they can get any and all donations are greatly appreciated, Whether it be money, food, clothing or furniture and appliances you no longer need. What you see as not worth anything could mean a lot to a family in need. A dented or paint chipped refrigerator that you’re going to through out could mean the world to a family without one.
The government also needs to take more effort to assist programs that C.A.C offers. How can we brag about helping other countries in need if we let our own do without the necessities?
