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Agenda Item No. 5(D) CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EL CERRITO PROCLAMATION May 2015 is CalFresh Awareness Month WHEREAS, the Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD), in partnership with the City of El Cerrito, is committed to increasing CalFresh participation and awareness for residents in Contra Costa County; and WHEREAS, encouraging eligible residents to enroll in CalFresh will increase access to healthy, affordable food; and WHEREAS, 72,694 Contra Costa County residents received CalFresh as of March 2015, nearly half of them children; and WHEREAS 603 households live below the poverty line in El Cerrito and are potentially eligible for CalFresh benefits; and WHEREAS, according to the California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA), only 59% of all Contra Costa County residents eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, known in California as CalFresh, receive benefits; and WHEREAS, this indicates that as many as 50,000 additional residents of Contra Costa County who lack food security remain unaware that they may qualify for CalFresh; and WHEREAS, every dollar of CalFresh benefits results in economic generation in the amount of $1.79; and WHEREAS, EHSD is partnering with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, the Family Economic Security Partnership, and the Multi-Faith ACTION Coalition, and other Community Based Organizations in the City of El Cerrito and throughout Contra Costa County to heighten public awareness and improve participation in the CalFresh program; and WHEREAS, promoting CalFresh awareness and participation by including CalFresh information and a link to the MyBenefitsCalWIN website on the City’s website will result in favorable economic and health outcomes for residents of El Cerrito. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of El Cerrito proclaims the Month of May as CalFresh Awareness Month. Dated: May 19, 2015 Mark Friedman, Mayor ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. 5(D) Ensuring Opportunity: The Campaign to Cut Poverty in Contra Costa County Mayor Mark Friedman April 29, 2015 10890 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530 Dear Mayor Friedman, We are writing to you to request your support to increase CalFresh awareness and participation rates for residents in your city by promoting the month of May as CalFresh Awareness Month. A CalFresh Partner committee, co-led by the county’s Employment and Human Services Department and the Food Bank, has been meeting for the past year to strategize on how to increase local CalFresh enrollment for residents who are eligible for CalFresh benefits. The committee is comprised of representatives from EHSD, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, the Multi-Faith ACTION Coalition, and the Family Economic Security Partnership. This committee is part of the Ensuring Opportunity campaign to cut poverty in Contra Costa County. In our county, only 59% of those eligible are receiving benefits. In El Cerrito, 603 households live below the poverty line and are potentially eligible for CalFresh benefits. We need your help to reach these families! CalFresh is a federal benefit that is being severely under-utilized in Contra Costa County. No city funds are needed to support this program and every dollar of CalFresh benefits results in economic generation of $1.79. A CalFresh recipient’s chance of moving out of poverty is significantly increased when they receive CalFresh benefits, allowing them to obtain food as well as use their wages for other equally important needs. Attached is a resolution that we ask the City Council to adopt in support of CalFresh Awareness Month. We request that you sponsor efforts to increase enrollment by promoting the link to online enrollment (www.mybenefitscalwin.org) within all city departments, city organizations, newsletters, and other venues serving low-income families. A one-page CalFresh Referral Form is also available at the Food Bank referral.html) and Ensuring Opportunity websites that allows for interested applicants to inquire about potential eligibility; residents will then be assisted with the application process by the Food Bank. We will follow up with you shortly to offer any support that you may request. We would also welcome the opportunity to meet with you and/or appropriate staff to further explore ways that City of El Cerrito can participate in the Ensuring Opportunity Campaign and help us to address poverty. Thank you for your attention to this important issue! Mariana Moore, Ensuring Opportunity Director, in partnership with the CalFresh Partner committee. cc: City Manager, City Clerk c/o RCF, 1014 Florida Ave, Suite 200, Richmond, CA 94804. Email: Phone: [PHONE REDACTED]