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November
2012
Visit our website at: www.ccj-mi.org
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Meet
Kimberlee
Charchan
Director
of Communications
Kimberlee started working
for CCJ in October as Communications Director. She's here to get the
word out about our advocacy work and to share our stories so people
will learn the difficulties facing the impoverished every day.
Kimberlee has an extensive
media and public relations background. She was a television
anchor and reporter for 15 years and worked as a broadcast media
relations manager for Chrysler among other companies. She plans
to use her expertise to tell people about CCJ through our website,
facebook, twitter and media stories.
Kimberlee believes by
introducing our clients and their stories to the media they will no
longer be statistics, but will become neighbors and friends with
genuine needs for survival.
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Auction Items to Support CCJ
The Center for Civil Justice has received some generous donations to
help raise money to support our work. These items are up for bid right now on
ebay:
-Detroit Lions Football Signed by Team Members
Click here for details.
-Personal Chef for the Day
Click here for details.
-6-Month Saginaw YMCA Membership
Click here for details.
-Saginaw Spirit Hockey game; February 9, 2013
Click here for details.
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One person can
make a difference. Your donation helps us in the fight against
poverty.
CCJ helps families and community partners understand and
navigate the many changes and cuts in essential safety net programs.
CCJ protects
families with children and other vulnerable adults from unlawful
terminations, reductions and denials of assistance by hiring and
retaining an experienced staff attorney who can enforce the law.
CCJ responds
effectively and efficiently to requests on our Helpline for
information on cash assistance and food stamps.
For more
information about the Center
for Civil Justice please visit our website: click here
Please support
our work by using the "make a donation" button above.
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OUR
HELPLINES
Statewide
Food and Nutrition Programs
1-800-481-4989
Genesee
County Helplines
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Heathcare Eligibility Law Project
1-810-238-8053
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Family Economic Security Project
1-810-244-8044
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 Families
Wait for Supreme Court Decision
Thousands of
needy families in Michigan are still waiting to hear if they will
lose their benefits. The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments
November 15th, regarding the Department of Human Services 60-month
time limit policy, but no decisions were made. That means the Genesee
County Circuit Court order remains in effect which states that DHS
must continue Family Independence Program (FIP) benefits in
accordance with state law to families that have received fewer than
48 countable months of FIP.
The Center for
Civil Justice brought the class action lawsuit against the Department
of Human Services after DHS dropped more than ten thousand families
with children from FIP benefits. CCJ argued the time-limit policy
created by DHS conflicts with state law. To read the full report click here.
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Low-Income People Could Lose Food Assistance
Millions of people throughout the country and right
here in Michigan are spending this holiday season worrying if they'll
be cut from federal food assistance. Billions of dollars in cuts to
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known
as food stamps, are proposed in the 2012 Farm Bill being considered
in a lame duck session of the legislature in Washington right now. If
the cuts are approved, two-to-three-million low-income people could
lose SNAP benefits. In Michigan, SNAP is called the Food Assistance
Program and is paid on the Bridge EBT card. To read more information
on this story click here.
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Take
Action:
Support SNAP on November 28th,
The Center for
Civil Justice is joining other advocacy agencies across the country
in asking people to show their support for the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly food stamps.
As Congress
debates issues in the lame duck session, two bills propose severe
cuts to SNAP that would impact senior citizens, people with
disabilities, single moms and many of our neighbors and friends.
The Food and
Research and Action Center is declaring Wednesday, November 28th, "National
Call-In Day." The group is asking everyone to call in on this
special number: 1-888-743-1097, to urge Congress to protect and
strengthen SNAP. Any cuts to SNAP would hurt low-income people who
need these benefits to survive. If you can't call in Wednesday, the
phone number will be functional until Saturday, December 1st. You can
also voice your opinion by calling the U.S. Capitol switchboard at
1-866-220-0044 or 1-877-762-8762.
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Fresh Foods are an Oasis in Food Deserts
When you want
to add some fresh veggies to complete your family dinner, you usually
head to the nearest store. But what if that store was 20 miles away,
or you couldn't get to the store for a week...what would you do?
That's a question for many of Michigan's residents. According to the
United States Department of Agriculture, a food desert is located in
a low-income area where at least 33 percent of the population has low
access to a supermarket or large grocery store. In an urban area, low
access means living more than a mile from the nearest grocery store,
and in rural areas it is 10 miles. Obstacles that rural families face
include lack of access to a car or public transportation; therefore,
making it difficult for them to find fresh produce. Click here for the USDA food desert
locator map.
In Michigan,
efforts are being made to expand the availability of nutritious foods
within food deserts by developing and equipping grocery stores, small
retailers and corner stores with more nutritious and fresh foods. In
the meantime, Farmer's Markets are a huge venue for fresh produce and
Michigan has approximately 250 Farmer's Markets located throughout
the state. Click here for a list of Michigan
Farmer's Markets.
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436 S. Saginaw
Flint,
Michigan 48502
810-244-8044
Ext. 306
800-481-4989
Fax:
810-244-5550
Contact:
Kimberlee
kcharchan@ccj-mi.org
320 S.
Washington
Saginaw,
Michigan 48607
(989) 755-3120
ext. 306
800-724-7441
Fax: (989)
755-3558
Contact:
Marybeth
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