Get The Facts
Download the brochure (PDF, 3MB) which explains how together we will end childhood hunger.
Or for more details, download the complete Plan To End Childhood Hunger in the Nation's Capital (PDF, 6.56MB).
The Ten-Part Plan
- Providing all District children a healthy breakfast
- Encouraging healthy food choices
- Helping families meet needs at home with food stamps
- Improving working families' economic security
- Increasing families' access to fresh produce
- Helping after-school programs provide healthy meals and snacks
- Expanding reach of summer meals programs
- Ensuring access to balanced, nutritious diets for all pregnant women and preschool children
- Ensuring access to nutritious food in shelters and food pantries
- Providing comprehensive public education about available assistance
Ten-Year Goal
Ninety-eight percent of eligible individuals in the District of Columbia will articipate in the food stamp program, receiving benefits sufficient to meet their needs.
The Plan to End Childhood Hunger
Help families meet needs at home with food stamps
The best way to end hunger is to help families help themselves.
One of the effective tools to help parents can put food on the table is the federal Food Stamp Program. But one in five District families who are eligible for food stamps don't receive them. A majority of that group never even applies for the help, mistakenly assuming they aren't eligible — either because they work, or because they are immigrants. Many others are deterred from applying because they cannot take time off work to complete the required in-person interview.
We'll conduct an outreach effort to correct the popular myths by providing information for low-wage employers to pass on to their workers, and making sure program information is translated into languages spoken by many new immigrants to the District. We'll also spread the word that the government provides exemptions from the in-person interview for people who work and cannot attend an interview.
Two-Year Action Plan
- Provide translations of program materials into Amharic, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese to increase participation among eligible immigrants.
- Promote availability of telephone interviews for working families.
- Conduct outreach through employers of low-wage workers to maximize participation.
Action Steps
- Streamline application process.
- Increase awareness about the Food Stamp program.
- Provide applications in multiple languages.
- Provide outreach materials in multiple languages.
Measures of Success
- It is easier to apply. Participation rate & % change in food stamp program.
- Application is offered in key non-English languages.
- Outreach materials are offered in key non-English languages.