Looking for a little help with
grocery money, Tammie Bean reluctantly applied for food
stamps several years ago. She had held jobs at a pizza place
and a food pantry.
Thanks to
the Food Stamp Employment and Training program, the 30-year-old
married woman with no children ended up with a whole lot more – two
satisfying jobs and a career path in social work.
“I want to
pay off things, get a home, and get a college degree,” said Bean,
who works as an office assistant at Sears and a Medicaid outreach
worker at the FreestoreFoodbank. “The extra money from a second job
will come in handy.”
The program
– a partnership of Hamilton County Department of Job and Family
Services and the FreestoreFoodbank – serves food stamp applicants
defined as Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents. These are
individuals at least 18 years old (but not yet 50) who are
able-bodied, not pregnant and not in an assistance group with a
minor child.
Under a
contract with the department, the FreestoreFoodbank assesses members
of this group. The private, non-profit organization determines if
individuals must participate in training, a Work Experience Program
assignment or a job search. It assists those potentially eligible
for an alternate source of income, such as Supplemental Security
Income.
Bean took a four-month work assignment at the FreestoreFoodbank in
2006. A few months later, at the insistence of program manager Lisa
Snorton, she sought and got a job as a cashier at Sears. She later
advanced to office assistant at Sears.
When the
FreestoreFoodbank determines that an individual in this category can
work, it assists with an employment search. In Bean’s case, this
involved enlisting the help of the Super Jobs Center, 1916 Central
Parkway. Super Jobs, a collaborative effort of business, government
and non-profit organizations, helped Bean compile a resume (and gave
her 10 copies) and assisted with online job applications.
When Bean
heard last year from Snorton that FreestoreFoodbank was starting a
new program, she applied and was hired as a liaison specialist. She
soon advanced to Medicaid outreach worker.
For several
months, she helped clients sign up for food stamps and Medicaid by
processing paperwork and doing data entry. She also handed out
information at the FreestoreFoodbank’s annual Thanksgiving and
Christmas food distribution events, community health fairs, schools
and telethons.
In March, she became an authorized representative for clients, which
gives her legal authority to get more detailed personal information.
This also authorizes her to visit homebound clients and represent them
at the agency.
She
explains Medicaid to those who might qualify for the health care
program and helps start the application process. She helps ensure
that people bring necessary information for face-to-face
appointments at Hamilton County Job and Family Services.
“I can relate to people who don’t want to apply because at first I
never wanted to get food stamps,” Bean said. “I thought I would be
taking from someone who needed it more than me. But it helped a lot
more than what I thought – with the work experience at the Freestore
and the help from Super Jobs.”
Bean works
40 hours per week for the FreestoreFoodbank and up to 29 more at
Sears. Bean has no children of her own. Her husband, Roscoe, has
older kids. She has a high school diploma and some college credits.
“I want to
go back to school and be in social work,” she said.
Snorton
predicts that will happen.
“She knows
what it takes to get ahead,” she said. “She’s got perseverance,
know-how, dedication and commitment.”
Tim Dingler, Food Stamp Employment and
Training program supervisor, said Bean has become a valuable asset
for the Freestore.
"Her hard work on the
Medicaid Outreach program is helping our consumers reach
self-sufficiency," Dingler said. "Her professionalism in dealing
with HCJFS staff is greatly appreciated. She is a wonderful example
of a Hamilton County resident, with the help of the JFS and
Freestore partnership, who is moving toward economic stability
and social mobility."
