Tag Archives: Your Community in Action!

Low Income & High Stress: The Effects of Poverty, Part 2 of 3

August 16, 20173-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, Non-ProfitsACSET, Commu, Mental illness, poverty, stress, Your Community in Action!Joanne

Your Community in Action!

By ACSET Community Action Agency

When you live in poverty, you worry about being able to provide basic needs like housing, food and health care for your family. It is no surprise this can cause tremendous stress. Data show that the rate of adults experiencing any type of mental illness is greatest among those with family incomes below the federal poverty level (about $2,050 per month for a family of four).

High levels of stress can damage both mental and physical health over the long term. This is the second installment in a series that will look at how living in poverty affects health and well-being.

Severe Mental Illness
Individuals living in poverty are at increased risk of experiencing trauma. This has been linked to increased mental illness, risk behaviors and challenges to daily life functions. Additionally, poor individuals typically experience greater work-stress because of low wages and the need to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.

Unfortunately, poor Americans are less likely to get the mental health help they need to manage illness and deal with excessive stress and trauma. This becomes even more tragic when you consider that individuals living in poverty are also more likely to have severe mental illness and serious thoughts of suicide. Between the physical health risks and potential of suicide, poverty is killing our neighbors.

Toxic Stress
Toxic stress occurs when a child experiences strong, frequent and/or prolonged hardship. When children are exposed to constant hardship, their bodies’ stress response is on all the time. They tend to have higher heart rates and blood pressure than their peers who aren’t living in poverty.

Long-term exposure to stress can have damaging effects on multiple organs, including the brain. Many adult illnesses, such as inflammatory diseases and increased risk for heart attack, stroke and diabetes, can be traced to toxic stress in childhood. Next week, we’ll look deeper into how poverty impacts children.

ACSET Community Action Agency’s (CAAs) mission is to fight the causes and circumstances of poverty by investing in low-income individuals and families. They do this by meeting emergency needs and assisting in areas of self-sufficiency. Through dedicated staff and community partnerships, ACSET CAA provides services, resources, education and advocacy to improve the quality of life for all residents of Kent County.

Your Community in Action! is provided by ASCET Community Action Agency. To learn more about how they help meet emergency needs and assist with areas of self-sufficiency, visit www.communityactionkent.org.

Will the Proposed Federal Budget Leave the Most Vulnerable Out in the Cold?

July 19, 20173-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Health, Non-ProfitsACSET Community Action Agency, federal budget, funding, Your Community in Action!Joanne

By ASCET Community Action Agency

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) provides a major source of funding to Community Action Agencies (CAAs) across the United States. In Kent County, 30% of ACSET CAA’s budget for fiscal year 2016-2017 consists of CSBG funds. Unfortunately, the proposed 2018 federal budget would completely eliminate CSBG funding–directly cutting 30% of the funds that assist low-income families.

The proposed budget would also eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that helps low-income households heat and cool their homes. LIHEAP also funds weatherization improvements to make clients’ homes more efficient, saving energy and reducing utility bills. LIHEAP funds account for 10% of ACSET CAA’s 2016-2017 budget. If this program is cut, our neighbors could literally be left out in the cold.

ACSET CAA depends on CSBG & LIHEAP to fund programs that serve:

Hard-working families who struggle due to job-loss, family emergencies and unexpected costs from medical problems or car and home repairs
Children who need a warm place to sleep and food on the table
People who have worked all their lives but are struggling to make ends meet when they retire from the workforce
People with disabilities who need door-to-door transportation to get to appointments and maintain their independence

These are our family members, our friends, our neighbors. These are the people who will lose the most from the proposed budget.

You can help ensure ACSET CAA can continue to reduce the conditions of poverty and help move families toward self-sufficiency. Contact your congressman/woman and senators. Ask them to oppose any budget that cuts the current level of funding for CSBG and LIHEAP. Use this online tool to find your congressional representatives based on where you live.

Learn more about ACSET CAA’s impact on our community in their 2016 Annual Report.

Your Community in Action: Hot Weather Safety for Older Adults

July 12, 20173-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Health, Senior LivingACSET, ACSET Community Action Agency, heat, Your Community in Action!Joanne

By ACSET Community Action Agency

Everyone is looking for ways to stay cool under the summer sun, but it is even more important for older adults. Seniors are more vulnerable to heat because their bodies don’t adjust as well to temperature changes. Medical conditions and medications can also make it hard for their bodies to regulate temperature or can cause dehydration. In fact, a recent study found that 40% of heat-related deaths in the US were among people over 65.

It is important to know the signs of heat stroke so steps can be taken to treat it as soon as possible. Symptoms include:

Body temperature over 104 degrees
Changes in behavior, like acting confused or agitated
Dry, red skin
Nausea and vomiting
Headache
Heavy breathing or a fast pulse
Lack of sweating when it’s hot out
Fainting

If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, take steps to cool down and seek medical help. Use these tips to stay cool and prevent heat stroke this summer:

Drink plenty of water. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, be sure to drink plenty of cool water and avoid coffee and alcohol.

Eat light. Eat small portions of cold meals like salads. Hot, heavy meals like pot roast can increase your body temperature.

Keep the house cool. You may avoid running the air conditioning to save money, but in a heat wave it can be a life-saver. Keep your air conditioner filters clean to help them run more efficiently. Close your blinds to keep sunlight out and decrease the need for the air conditioner to work as hard.

Keep yourself cool. Wet a towel with cool water and place it on your wrists, face and back of your neck. Sit with your feet in a pan of cool water. Or take a cool shower or bath.

Visit a cooling center. If you can’t cool down at home, visit a public place with air conditioning to get some relief. A shopping mall, library or senior center are places to consider.

ACSET Community Action Agency (CAA) provides a variety of programs to help keep seniors in Kent County health and safe. To learn more, go here.

Make your food dollars go further at the farmers’ market

June 21, 20173-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Food, Health, Non-ProfitsACSET, Community Action Partnership of Kent County, Farmers Market, food, Your Community in Action!Joanne

Your Community in Action!

By Community Action Partnership of Kent County

The summer months in Michigan offer plenty of locally grown, fresh and healthy food choices. But what if you rely on food assistance dollars for your grocery budget? Can you use them at the farmers market or a roadside stand? The answer is yes! There are programs specially designed to help everyone access local produce.

Double Up Food Bucks
This program will match the money you spend on SNAP-eligible foods at the farmers market using your Bridge card. You can receive up to $20 in Double Up Food Bucks per market day. Just take your SNAP Bridge card to the market’s office or info booth before you shop. Learn more here.

WIC Project FRESH
WIC (Women Infant and Children) clients qualify for this program. Clients can receive five coupons worth $5 each to spend on fresh, local produce. Coupons can be used any time between June 1 and October 31. Vendors and/or farmers markets must have a contract to accept the coupons and will have a sign posted reading “Project FRESH Coupons Accepted Here.” Learn more about Project FRESH here.

Senior Market FRESH
Similar to the WIC program, Market FRESH provides eligible seniors with ten coupons worth $2 each to use with vendors/farmers markets contracted to accept them. Coupons are accepted June 1 through October 31, and participating vendors/farmers will have a sign posted reading “Senior Project FRESH/Market FRESH Welcome Here.” Learn more about the program and eligibility here.

The following farmers markets in Kent County participate in the Double Up Food Bucks, Project FRESH and Market FRESH programs.

Byron Center: Byron Farmers Market
Grand Rapids: Fulton Street Farmers Market, Southeast Area Farmers’ Market
Kentwood: Kentwood Farmers Market
Wyoming: Metro Health Farm Market

You can search all farmers markets and filter by what food assistance benefits are accepted at: http://mifma.org/findafarmersmarket/.

ACSET: Providing access to healthy food

March 2, 20173-bottom, Citizen JournalismACSET, Community Action Agency, Your Community in Action!Joanne

Your Community in Action!

By Community Action Partnership of Kent County

A trip to the grocery store is a regular part of many families’ weekly routine. Most people are lucky enough to hop in their car and run to the nearest store where they have access to an abundance of nutritious foods and fresh produce. But what happens if you don’t have reliable transportation? Is there a grocery store close enough that you can walk? Can you easily get to a store using public transportation? Once you get there, how do you carry your groceries back home?

Many households in our country face too many challenges to access healthy food for their families. According to the USDA, there 2.3 million Americans living in low-income areas that are 10 miles or more from a grocery store or supermarket. These areas are defined as food deserts because residents have limited access to affordable, healthy food.

Living in a food desert is a serious health concern. It has been found to lead to greater risk for heart disease in adults. Children are at risk too. Studies have found 53% more cases of asthma in kids who live more than a mile from a grocery store.

If you or someone you know is living in a food desert, there are local organizations working to address nutrition needs. ACSET CAA has many community partners that distribute healthy food throughout the county through their nutrition services. This includes locations within known food deserts. To learn more about qualifications, distribution dates and locations, visit CAA’s website: http://communityactionkent.org/programs/nutrition-services/

Your Community in Action! helps fight hunger in Kent County

January 13, 20173-bottom, Citizen JournalismACSET Community Action Agency (CAA), Food insecurity, Your Community in Action!Joanne

Recent statistics indicate that 42.2 million Americans live in food-insecure households. Sadly 8.4% of individuals facing food insecurity are over the age of 60 and 31% are children!

Hunger is a reality for too many across the country as well as in our own backyard. Feeding America estimates that 12.6% of all Kent County residents are food insecure. ACSET Community Action Agency (CAA) is addressing this need by providing supplemental food to low-income households and seniors in our community. We do this is through the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).

These programs distribute boxes of USDA food to eligible households. The boxes include a variety of pantry staples and vary depending on the food items available from the USDA. ACSET CAA partners with multiple distribution sites across the county to provide easier access to needed assistance. Nutritious food will be available to eligible Kent County residents on 100 different days in 2017.

Food distributions near you

CSFP: Kent County residents over the age of 60 who meet income requirements can receive monthly distributions at United Church Outreach Ministry (UCOM), 1131 Chicago Dr. SW, Grand Rapids. The next distribution is Thursday, Jan. 19 from 2 to 8 pm or while supplies last.

TEFAP: Kent County households that meet income requirements can receive quarterly distributions at John Knox Presbyterian Church, 4150 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids. The next distribution is Thursday, March 9 from 9 am to 3:30 pm or while supplies last.

Eligible residents do not need to register in advance. Visit ACSET CAA’s website to learn more about eligibility requirements, additional locations and dates for TEFAP and CSFP distributions.