![]() ![]() ![]() Undergraduate students are hired as SNAP Outreach Workers to provide client assistance throughout the RI community. A more complete explanation of outreach efforts and initiatives may be found at Client Assistance ![]() Outreach Examplesīelow are some examples of the outreach activities of the SNAP Outreach Project. The SNAP outreach project seeks to educate both those who are potentially eligible and the greater community about SNAP and its benefits through creation and distribution of educational materials, trainings, and direct client assistance. While many Rhode Islanders participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, thousands of our neighbors are unaware of their eligibility or need help in order to access benefits. In 2019, over 240 million federal dollars entered the RI economy as people used their SNAP benefits. SNAP benefits also provide a subsidy to farmers and increase activity in local grocery stores. Each month, benefits are directly deposited into the household’s EBT account. The EBT card can be used to pay for food at supermarkets and convenience stores, as well as some farmer’s markets and food co-ops. Benefits supplement the food budgets of families and individuals so they may purchase more and higher quality foods using the EBT (Electronics Benefits Transfer) card. SNAP is a federal program that provides nutritional assistance to low-income households. Whether working in our office or in the community, URI students hone their skills ranging from writing and organizational skills to communication and empathy through their exposure to working with a diverse clientele, including seniors, people with mental and physical disabilities, ethnic and racial minorities, and immigrant populations. Each semester, students from a wide variety of academic disciplines, work for and intern at the Hunger Center. Undergraduates are an integral part of these outreach efforts. In keeping with the Hunger Center’s mission to provide meaningful educational experiences for students at URI, undergraduate students work as outreach workers and office workers to conduct and support SNAP outreach. The SNAP Outreach Project in Rhode Island differs from those in other states in that much of the work is done by undergraduate students. With particular emphasis on populations at nutritional risk (i.e., the elderly, low-income working, homeless and immigrant households), the SNAP Outreach Project creates and distributes materials, provides trainings and offers client assistance through direct outreach in the community and a toll-free hotline. The URI SNAP Outreach Project works to improve access through education efforts targeted to the public at large, to professional staff and volunteers who work with low-income individuals and to low-income individuals directly. Since 2001, the URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America has been awarded an annual contract from the RI Department of Human Services to conduct Rhode Island’s SNAP Outreach efforts. The US Department of Agriculture encourages states to conduct outreach activities to improve access to and increase participation in SNAP by ensuring eligible households apply for and receive nutrition assistance. The single most important federal nutrition program aimed at improving the nutritional intakes of low-income families is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP. In situations of hunger and poverty, families are faced with limited choices. ![]() 94,020 flyers, brochures and postcards mailed ![]()
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