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Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Another Guest Blog from DelCoAD!
Hillary Kane is the Director of Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND). PHENND helps colleges and communities connect to share resources to improve the lives of students and neighbors. In 2004, PHENND help start DelCoAD.
What did you learn in college? Did you learn any practical skills such as how to balance your checkbook or how to shop for a loan? How about how to do your taxes? Probably not.
Unfortunately, most colleges focus strictly on academics and to a lesser extent other soft skills such as leadership development. And while both of these things are hugely important, we all know that in the game of life, it takes more than smarts and leadership to accomplish your goals. You also need some basic household skills.
Enter Delaware County Asset Development’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. While VITA is primarily aimed at helping low- and moderate-income families get free tax preparation services, it has also become a great teaching tool for many local college students. For the past seven years, students from area colleges, such as Swarthmore College and Widener University, have been learning some important life skills all in the name of service to their community.
Each winter, students are recruited as volunteer tax preparers for DelCoAD’s massive free tax prep initiative. Typically, 75-80 students volunteer and in the process, they learn all about basic tax law and how to prepare an income tax return. The students are certified by the IRS and then through the Spring Semester (which coincides nicely with tax season), they volunteer to help people do their taxes at one of nine sites throughout Delaware County.
Last year, students along with other volunteers from the community, provided free tax services to 1800 filers who collectively received over $2.5 million in refunds. This year’s numbers will be revealed at our End of the Season Celebration, Monday, April 25th at Swarthmore College. For more information, visit www.delcoad.org .
What did you learn in college? Did you learn any practical skills such as how to balance your checkbook or how to shop for a loan? How about how to do your taxes? Probably not.
Unfortunately, most colleges focus strictly on academics and to a lesser extent other soft skills such as leadership development. And while both of these things are hugely important, we all know that in the game of life, it takes more than smarts and leadership to accomplish your goals. You also need some basic household skills.
Enter Delaware County Asset Development’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. While VITA is primarily aimed at helping low- and moderate-income families get free tax preparation services, it has also become a great teaching tool for many local college students. For the past seven years, students from area colleges, such as Swarthmore College and Widener University, have been learning some important life skills all in the name of service to their community.
Each winter, students are recruited as volunteer tax preparers for DelCoAD’s massive free tax prep initiative. Typically, 75-80 students volunteer and in the process, they learn all about basic tax law and how to prepare an income tax return. The students are certified by the IRS and then through the Spring Semester (which coincides nicely with tax season), they volunteer to help people do their taxes at one of nine sites throughout Delaware County.
Last year, students along with other volunteers from the community, provided free tax services to 1800 filers who collectively received over $2.5 million in refunds. This year’s numbers will be revealed at our End of the Season Celebration, Monday, April 25th at Swarthmore College. For more information, visit www.delcoad.org .
Thursday, April 7, 2011
IMPORTANT Guest Blog about your Taxes!
Today's guest blogger is Georgia Julius, the Executive Director and VITA Coordinator at Delaware County Asset Development.
April is upon us, and as if a shower-filled forecast isn’t enough to bring us down, Tax Day can, for some, appear a to be another storm cloud on the horizon. I am writing in hopes to debunk a few tax season myths and explain that tax season should be nothing to dread.
Myth: Tax Day = Doomsday
Tax Day, which usually falls on April 15th every year, has been pushed back to Monday the 18th due to Emancipation Day in Washington D.C. Most don’t realize that the April due date only ever applies to taxpayers who owe money to the IRS and not to those who are receiving refunds. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should dilly dally on claiming your refund though, because you are missing out on having that amount securely in your account and earning interest. If you do owe, you should do the best you can to pay in full by April 18th. If this is impossible, you can call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 and work out a payment plan. They ask that you pay as much as possible but they are willing to work with what you are capable of. Explain your situation and ask them what you can do so that you don’t owe next year. If you are an employee who receives W-2 tax documents, this may involve changing the exemption amount on your W-4 to a higher number (ie. 1 instead of 0, which accounts for no federal withholding). If you are a contract worker or self-employed and you expect to owe over $1,000, you may want to consider filling out a form 1040ES and paying quarterly estimated taxes for 2011. Ignoring taxes won’t make them go away and the sooner you deal work with the IRS, the better off you will be
.
Myth: “You have to spend money to make money,” or, alternately, “You can’t get something for nothing”
The average amount spent to have a tax return prepared is $183, which may not seem like a lot compared to refunds some receive upwards of $1,000, but it is certainly a lot compared to $0. That’s how much Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, sites charge for their tax preparation services. On top of that, VITA sites offer free e-filing, state return preparation, direct deposit and referalls and access to other benefits. Delaware County Asset Development Group, or DelCoAD, runs nine free tax preparation sites in Delaware County and similar programs run free tax prep sites at thousands of locations in the surrounding counties and across the nation.
Myth: The IRS is out to get you
The VITA program is a collaborative effort between the IRS, organizations and coalitions like DelCoAD and its partners and volunteers from colleges, universities and the community. It serves to help low-income taxpayers access the credits for which they are eligible, specifically the EITC, or Earned Income Tax Credit. The guidelines for the EITC and therefore for the VITA eligible population, change every year. This year, VITA sites are qualified to help taxpayers and their families with a 2010 income of under $50,000. The EITC is a refundable credit, which means you can get more money back than just the federal income taxes you already paid--a lot more money. In fact, the EITC is considered to be the best anti-poverty tool in the United States. That’s because it can increase a household’s yearly income by a large percentage. See the below example and remember, this is not even including other possible credits, like the Child Tax Credit or education credits: A single parent with three children who earned $21,000 in 2010 is eligible for $4,702 of EITC, bringing his or her income up to $25,702. In this case, the EITC makes up over 18% of that family’s yearly income.
This chart shows the parameters for the 2010 tax year along with the maximum refund amounts:
Myth: You get what you pay for
Tax preparation at a VITA site is free but that doesn’t mean you get what you pay for. All VITA Volunteers are trained and certified in tax law by an IRS training program with an emphasis on obtaining all eligible tax credits. Most VITA programs, including DelCoAD, have additional training in customer service and asset development tools (savings bonds and prepaid debit cards, for example). All VITA volunteer-prepared returns are quality reviewed by an experienced volunteer through a process that the IRS has been honing for years. And then the tax software provides one last once-over before your return is submitted to the IRS. At VITA programs, quality is job number one and the client is our priority..
For more information: See www.delcoad.org for a list of our sites and their hours in Chester, Sharon Hill, Darby, Media and Holmes. You can also call me, Georgia Julius, at 610-543-5022 x228 with any questions or to find the nearest tax site to you. Have a Happy Tax Day!
*EITC limitations graph courtesy of PathWays PA
Getting Down to Brass Tax:
True Tax Facts with DelCoAD
True Tax Facts with DelCoAD
April is upon us, and as if a shower-filled forecast isn’t enough to bring us down, Tax Day can, for some, appear a to be another storm cloud on the horizon. I am writing in hopes to debunk a few tax season myths and explain that tax season should be nothing to dread.
Myth: Tax Day = Doomsday
Tax Day, which usually falls on April 15th every year, has been pushed back to Monday the 18th due to Emancipation Day in Washington D.C. Most don’t realize that the April due date only ever applies to taxpayers who owe money to the IRS and not to those who are receiving refunds. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should dilly dally on claiming your refund though, because you are missing out on having that amount securely in your account and earning interest. If you do owe, you should do the best you can to pay in full by April 18th. If this is impossible, you can call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 and work out a payment plan. They ask that you pay as much as possible but they are willing to work with what you are capable of. Explain your situation and ask them what you can do so that you don’t owe next year. If you are an employee who receives W-2 tax documents, this may involve changing the exemption amount on your W-4 to a higher number (ie. 1 instead of 0, which accounts for no federal withholding). If you are a contract worker or self-employed and you expect to owe over $1,000, you may want to consider filling out a form 1040ES and paying quarterly estimated taxes for 2011. Ignoring taxes won’t make them go away and the sooner you deal work with the IRS, the better off you will be
.
Myth: “You have to spend money to make money,” or, alternately, “You can’t get something for nothing”
The average amount spent to have a tax return prepared is $183, which may not seem like a lot compared to refunds some receive upwards of $1,000, but it is certainly a lot compared to $0. That’s how much Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, sites charge for their tax preparation services. On top of that, VITA sites offer free e-filing, state return preparation, direct deposit and referalls and access to other benefits. Delaware County Asset Development Group, or DelCoAD, runs nine free tax preparation sites in Delaware County and similar programs run free tax prep sites at thousands of locations in the surrounding counties and across the nation.
Myth: The IRS is out to get you
The VITA program is a collaborative effort between the IRS, organizations and coalitions like DelCoAD and its partners and volunteers from colleges, universities and the community. It serves to help low-income taxpayers access the credits for which they are eligible, specifically the EITC, or Earned Income Tax Credit. The guidelines for the EITC and therefore for the VITA eligible population, change every year. This year, VITA sites are qualified to help taxpayers and their families with a 2010 income of under $50,000. The EITC is a refundable credit, which means you can get more money back than just the federal income taxes you already paid--a lot more money. In fact, the EITC is considered to be the best anti-poverty tool in the United States. That’s because it can increase a household’s yearly income by a large percentage. See the below example and remember, this is not even including other possible credits, like the Child Tax Credit or education credits: A single parent with three children who earned $21,000 in 2010 is eligible for $4,702 of EITC, bringing his or her income up to $25,702. In this case, the EITC makes up over 18% of that family’s yearly income.
This chart shows the parameters for the 2010 tax year along with the maximum refund amounts:
Myth: You get what you pay for
Tax preparation at a VITA site is free but that doesn’t mean you get what you pay for. All VITA Volunteers are trained and certified in tax law by an IRS training program with an emphasis on obtaining all eligible tax credits. Most VITA programs, including DelCoAD, have additional training in customer service and asset development tools (savings bonds and prepaid debit cards, for example). All VITA volunteer-prepared returns are quality reviewed by an experienced volunteer through a process that the IRS has been honing for years. And then the tax software provides one last once-over before your return is submitted to the IRS. At VITA programs, quality is job number one and the client is our priority..
For more information: See www.delcoad.org for a list of our sites and their hours in Chester, Sharon Hill, Darby, Media and Holmes. You can also call me, Georgia Julius, at 610-543-5022 x228 with any questions or to find the nearest tax site to you. Have a Happy Tax Day!
*EITC limitations graph courtesy of PathWays PA
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
From the Delaware County Times: Tax Tips
To coincide with this week's blog series on tax preparation, here is an article from the Delaware County Times with some tax tips:
Top 10 Tax Tips for 2010-2011
Contributed by Cathy McKeever of Bond, Pezzano & Etze, PC and
Principal Tax Advisors, LLC
1) GET ORGANIZED – Good organization of your tax and financial information is key to claiming all tax benefits each year.
2) TAKE YOUR INFORMATION TO YOUR ACCOUNTANT – NOW! - Waiting until the last minute could mean missing tax deductions from your return.
3) BE CERTAIN THAT YOU ARE TAKING EVERY DEDUCTION YOU ARE ENTITLED TO.
4) MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL YOUR DEPENDENTS LISTED ON YOUR RETURN.
5) IF YOU SOLD STOCK IN 2010 – make sure you have your Cost Basis for the sale to minimize gain or to take a loss on your returns
6) Here are some of the ways to save tax dollars:
7) FULLY FUND YOUR 401K or Traditional IRA.
8) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TAX CREDITS YOU ARE ENTITLED TO:
a. CHILD CREDIT – for qualifying dependent children
b. CHILD AND DEPENDENT CARE CREDIT - for daycare expenses for working parents/caregivers
c. EDUCATION CREDITS – for tuition paid for post High School education
d. ENERGY CREDITS – for energy saving improvements to your primary home – heating systems, water heaters, insulation, windows and doors.
9) CONSIDER FUTURE TAX SAVINGS- with the help of your accountant
a. Consider converting a traditional IRA to a ROTH IRA – you have two years to pay tax on the conversion amount – may save taxes later
b. Plan Estimated tax payments for next year, if you owed this year.
10) MAKE A COMMITMENT TO MEET WITH YOUR ACCOUNTANT FOR TAX AND FINANCIAL PLANNING –
a. Avoidable tax mistakes can be caught when you discuss your finances with your accountant!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Tax Services: What’s Available in Delaware County
April 15 is fast approaching, which means that Delaware County residents need to make sure that their income tax returns are completed and submitted to the Internal Revenue Service as soon as possible. Tax preparation can be complicated, and many people seek outside assistance with their taxes. The more popular options for tax preparation are a licensed professional like an accountant, tax preparation websites, or the tax payer completing the return themselves.
Completing tax returns can be critical for low-income individuals and families. First of all, avoiding submission of your income tax returns can lead to problems with the IRS, which eventually could lead to legal issues. Second of all, proper tax preparation can give low-income individuals and families money back, as well as help save money in the long run. Learning how to prepare taxes and meeting with a trusted professional can only aid those who find themselves in a dire financial state.
There is help here in Delaware County. The Delaware County Asset Development group is a coalition of community organizations that help provide families with an income less than $50,000 with free tax preparation. The coalition and its partner agencies run several VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites throughout the County that you can find here.
If you are eligible, take advantage of these resources. These services can aid you with not only your tax preparation, but give you the knowledge to prepare your own taxes as well.
Completing tax returns can be critical for low-income individuals and families. First of all, avoiding submission of your income tax returns can lead to problems with the IRS, which eventually could lead to legal issues. Second of all, proper tax preparation can give low-income individuals and families money back, as well as help save money in the long run. Learning how to prepare taxes and meeting with a trusted professional can only aid those who find themselves in a dire financial state.
There is help here in Delaware County. The Delaware County Asset Development group is a coalition of community organizations that help provide families with an income less than $50,000 with free tax preparation. The coalition and its partner agencies run several VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites throughout the County that you can find here.
If you are eligible, take advantage of these resources. These services can aid you with not only your tax preparation, but give you the knowledge to prepare your own taxes as well.
From Pathways PA's Policy Blog
Legislative Action Needed!
The Senate's Labor & Industry Committee has placed SB 552 on the agenda for a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 6, at 9:30 AM in the Senate's Majority Caucus Room.
Please contact the members of the Labor Committee and ask them to support SB 552 and vote to report it from committee WITHOUT AMENDMENT.
The PFWS website—www.workforcepa.com—has a template letter that you can personalize and send to Senators, as well as a link to the members of the Labor Committee. Please e-mail your letter so the Senators receive it before Wednesday's meeting.
It is important that the committee members hear from supporters of SB 552 so we can get this bill passed as quickly as possible.
Please also notify Don Kockler (and PathWays PA!) when you have sent your letter so we can track our contacts with the legislature. Thank you for your continued support of Industry Partnerships.
The Senate's Labor & Industry Committee has placed SB 552 on the agenda for a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 6, at 9:30 AM in the Senate's Majority Caucus Room.
Please contact the members of the Labor Committee and ask them to support SB 552 and vote to report it from committee WITHOUT AMENDMENT.
The PFWS website—www.workforcepa.com—has a template letter that you can personalize and send to Senators, as well as a link to the members of the Labor Committee. Please e-mail your letter so the Senators receive it before Wednesday's meeting.
It is important that the committee members hear from supporters of SB 552 so we can get this bill passed as quickly as possible.
Please also notify Don Kockler (and PathWays PA!) when you have sent your letter so we can track our contacts with the legislature. Thank you for your continued support of Industry Partnerships.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Guest Blog on the 2011 Hunger Conference!
Fran Alloway, R.D., a nutrition and health educator from the Penn State Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, is the head organizer for the Annual Delaware County Hunger Conference. Today she shares with us a guest blog on this year's conference!
On March 1, 2011, The Challenge of Feeding our Diverse Communities in Delaware County was held at Widener University. For the third year, a group of agency staff and individuals organized a conference to give those working with low income clients the tools to address many of the issues faced by those seeking food, food stamps and related services. Our speakers addressed the self sufficiency standard, health literacy, food related health issues faced across the lifespan, ethnic barriers and provided a template to help each client gain access to healthy food.
Many participants reported that it was the best conference yet and I agree. The next morning I was thinking about Captain Jose Santiago’s (Chester Salvation Army) comments about coming to New England in winter from Puerto Rico where life was bustling, food was spicy and church was noisy to a town where no one was seen after the sun went down. I also marveled when Lynn Kugel from PathwaysPA told us that a woman with one child needs to earn over $60,000 to live comfortably. No wonder many of our working poor struggle.
Dr. Mary Powell from Neumann talked about how only 10% of adults read proficiently at a 10th grade level. Many of our handouts and instructions need to account for the lower 30% who have basic or less than basic skills and have difficulty with charts, detailed instructions and too much information. As a health educator, this was important to hear.
A wonderful panel of two medical doctors, a PhD and Outreach director gave us information on nutrition over the lifespan from low birth weight and premature babies to the elderly. Anne Ayella from Nutrition Development Services talked about how the Archdiocese of Philadelphia started offering school lunches, after school snacks and now administers the summer meal program.
Amanda Archibald, who is a food consultant (Field to Plate) gave us a roadmap template to look at our clients (or groups of clients) and assess food resources they possess and what is missing to better meet their needs. This activity challenged our thinking about food resources. Many of our clients need more than a handout of food, although this helps. Can we teach them to mix those canned green beans into a casserole with the pasta and soup? Can we help our ethnic clients to keep the healthy items in their native diet when they adopt an American way of eating?
A good conference makes you think and challenges you to take action. 76% of our attendees listed an action that they plan to take as a result of the conference and 96% said that they would share the information with others. If you didn’t get to the Hunger conference this year, we’ll be sponsoring a 4th annual conference next March.
March is National Nutrition Month – celebrate how good food creates healthy bodies. Let’s help those with limited access to food eat healthy too. A food resource guide can be found at http://www.co.delaware.pa.us/humanservices/emgfood.html
On March 1, 2011, The Challenge of Feeding our Diverse Communities in Delaware County was held at Widener University. For the third year, a group of agency staff and individuals organized a conference to give those working with low income clients the tools to address many of the issues faced by those seeking food, food stamps and related services. Our speakers addressed the self sufficiency standard, health literacy, food related health issues faced across the lifespan, ethnic barriers and provided a template to help each client gain access to healthy food.
Many participants reported that it was the best conference yet and I agree. The next morning I was thinking about Captain Jose Santiago’s (Chester Salvation Army) comments about coming to New England in winter from Puerto Rico where life was bustling, food was spicy and church was noisy to a town where no one was seen after the sun went down. I also marveled when Lynn Kugel from PathwaysPA told us that a woman with one child needs to earn over $60,000 to live comfortably. No wonder many of our working poor struggle.
Dr. Mary Powell from Neumann talked about how only 10% of adults read proficiently at a 10th grade level. Many of our handouts and instructions need to account for the lower 30% who have basic or less than basic skills and have difficulty with charts, detailed instructions and too much information. As a health educator, this was important to hear.
A wonderful panel of two medical doctors, a PhD and Outreach director gave us information on nutrition over the lifespan from low birth weight and premature babies to the elderly. Anne Ayella from Nutrition Development Services talked about how the Archdiocese of Philadelphia started offering school lunches, after school snacks and now administers the summer meal program.
Amanda Archibald, who is a food consultant (Field to Plate) gave us a roadmap template to look at our clients (or groups of clients) and assess food resources they possess and what is missing to better meet their needs. This activity challenged our thinking about food resources. Many of our clients need more than a handout of food, although this helps. Can we teach them to mix those canned green beans into a casserole with the pasta and soup? Can we help our ethnic clients to keep the healthy items in their native diet when they adopt an American way of eating?
A good conference makes you think and challenges you to take action. 76% of our attendees listed an action that they plan to take as a result of the conference and 96% said that they would share the information with others. If you didn’t get to the Hunger conference this year, we’ll be sponsoring a 4th annual conference next March.
March is National Nutrition Month – celebrate how good food creates healthy bodies. Let’s help those with limited access to food eat healthy too. A food resource guide can be found at http://www.co.delaware.pa.us/humanservices/emgfood.html
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Women's History Month: Ethel Waters
As Women’s History Month comes to an end, United Way celebrates the memory of another Delaware County woman who made her mark on this community, Ethel Waters. Ethel was a blues, jazz, and gospel vocalist from Chester, Pennsylvania. At the start of her life she faced great hardship; she was the child of a rape victim and lived in impoverished conditions. She was married early in life but her husband abused her, so she decided to run away and pursue a singing career. Despite the tremendous challenges she encountered at the beginning of her life, she persevered and soon garnered success as a vaudeville performer. In the 1920s she performed during the Harlem Renaissance, and continued to act in musicals and sing the blues. Ethel then became the fifth African American woman ever to have a record, and continued to record hits such as “Dinah” which got her inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. She continued to achieve great success with her performances and recordings, and later became the second African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for her role in “Pinky”. In 1999, Ethel was inducted into the Delaware County Women’s Hall of Fame. Ethel Waters‘s memory still permeates throughout the community because of her fame and success. However, her significance in Women’s History stems from the fact she did not let her past dictate her future; she instead let her talent and drive make her a star.
To learn more about Ethel Waters, go here.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Discount Prescription Plan Available for All Delaware County Residents
In case you have not visited our website, United Way has partnered with Agelity to offer a great service to residents of Delaware County. Agelity provides a discount prescription plan which gives users discounts on many of their prescriptions at pharmacies throughout the County. Cards can be used by all family members and can help make pricey prescriptions more affordable. The card can easily be printed off of our website, and afterwards will be ready for immediate use. All you have to do is present your card when filling your prescription in order to receive the discount. Prescriptions can be a financial burden so let United Way and Agelity help ease that burden with our discount prescription plan. Also, please refer anyone you know whom may be in need of some help with paying for prescriptions.
Please go to our website to learn more about the discount rates, how to use it, and to find answers to any questions.
Please go to our website to learn more about the discount rates, how to use it, and to find answers to any questions.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Chester Economic Development Authority’s Project Plan for 2011
This month, the Chester Economic Development Authority released a draft for its 2011 fiscal action plan. The draft includes monetary provisions for $1.796 million in community development block grants and 499,000 to the “Homeworkers Organized for More Employment Investment Partnership” program.
The Delaware County Daily Times has a full report on how many funds were proposed to be allocated to which programs. You can access it here.
Remember, you have a voice in the allocation of funds! Citizens are encouraged to write letters or to communicate to the Chester Economic Development Authority where they would like to see these funds go. These funds are meant to increase the capacity of the community and give aid to those programs that provide services where there’s the most need. As a resident you have the ability to communicate whether or not you feel the funds are especially needed in certain programs. United Way of Southeast Delaware County encourages residents of the Chester area to pick up a copy of the action plan at the J. Lewis Crozer Library or City Hall. Familiarize yourself with the plan, its goals, and what direction you feel is appropriate for the plan. You have until April 8 to submit letters to CEDA, P.O. Box 407, 511 Welsh St., Third Floor, Chester, PA 19016.
The Delaware County Daily Times has a full report on how many funds were proposed to be allocated to which programs. You can access it here.
Remember, you have a voice in the allocation of funds! Citizens are encouraged to write letters or to communicate to the Chester Economic Development Authority where they would like to see these funds go. These funds are meant to increase the capacity of the community and give aid to those programs that provide services where there’s the most need. As a resident you have the ability to communicate whether or not you feel the funds are especially needed in certain programs. United Way of Southeast Delaware County encourages residents of the Chester area to pick up a copy of the action plan at the J. Lewis Crozer Library or City Hall. Familiarize yourself with the plan, its goals, and what direction you feel is appropriate for the plan. You have until April 8 to submit letters to CEDA, P.O. Box 407, 511 Welsh St., Third Floor, Chester, PA 19016.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
United Way of Pennsylvania Broadcasts the Needs of PA Nonprofits
Third and State, a Pennsylvania public policy blog, featured an article on United Way of Pennsylvania’s efforts in showing the demand for nonprofits’ services as well as the effects that budget cuts have had. United Way of Pennsylvania conducted a survey which revealed that 4 out of 5 nonprofits contend that the recession increased demand. Unfortunately, the recession also included a decrease in donations, as well as significant budget cuts. That means a lack of funding for important social services in a time when they’re needed most. With the upcoming federal budget as well as state budget, there is a serious concern amongst nonprofits that they will not be equipped to provide services to many individuals and families, services that these people greatly need. In fact, according to UWP’s survey, over a third of social service agencies surveyed had to turn away people for services and almost 20% had to revoke certain services. In these hard economic times, this is devastating for thousands of Pennsylvanians!
Here in Delaware County, nonprofits are also experiencing the pressure of an increased demand and decreased funding. With more cuts being proposed, it looks like the pressure will only increase. In some areas where the population in poverty is almost at 30%, individuals need and rely on the services that these organizations provide for basic necessities such as food or shelter. If nonprofits in Pennsylvania have to revoke services and turn people away, then that also leaves people in Pennsylvania, which includes Delaware County, who are in need with nowhere else to turn and this has a devastating effect on many of our fellow citizens’ quality of life.
Please take a look at United Way of Pennsylvania’s Survey to see the pressure nonprofits have been facing to provide much needed services.
Here in Delaware County, nonprofits are also experiencing the pressure of an increased demand and decreased funding. With more cuts being proposed, it looks like the pressure will only increase. In some areas where the population in poverty is almost at 30%, individuals need and rely on the services that these organizations provide for basic necessities such as food or shelter. If nonprofits in Pennsylvania have to revoke services and turn people away, then that also leaves people in Pennsylvania, which includes Delaware County, who are in need with nowhere else to turn and this has a devastating effect on many of our fellow citizens’ quality of life.
Please take a look at United Way of Pennsylvania’s Survey to see the pressure nonprofits have been facing to provide much needed services.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Nutrition and Delaware County
March has been established as National Nutrition Month. The American Dietetics Association sponsors a campaign every March dedicated to education and nutrition awareness. This year’s theme is “Eat Right with Color” which conveys the importance of eating nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables which are not only rich in nutrients, but in color as well. For example, instead of simply cooking foods like chicken and potatoes, try to add more color to your plate in the form of colorful vegetables like carrots or spinach. To learn more about how to add color to your plate, go here.
There have been many events around Delaware County that have been indicating the importance of nutrition in our foods. The Delaware County Hunger Coalition and DIFAN held its annual Hunger Conference earlier this month entitled “The Challenge of Feeding Our Diverse Communities in Delaware County.” The conference emphasized cultural differences in food and the need to address food and nutrition in a culturally sensitive manner. Also this past week was the grand opening of a permanent location for the Chester Co-Op, now located on the Avenue of the States. The Co-Op is a community owned grocery store in Chester that provides residents with access to nutritious and fresh foods like locally grown fruits and vegetables, among others. The Chester Co-Op will be significant in providing residents in an area with no grocery store with the ability to feed themselves with foods that will provide nutritional sustenance. Not only are events like the Hunger Conference and the Chester Co-Op’s opening making nutrition a priority, but also food pantries throughout the county are ensuring that foods donated are lower in fat and contain nutrients necessary to lead a healthy life. Delaware County is clearly trying to make nutrition a priority!
Nutrition and Delaware County
March has been established as National Nutrition Month. The American Dietetics Association sponsors a campaign every March dedicated to education and nutrition awareness. This year’s theme is “Eat Right with Color” which conveys the importance of eating nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables which are not only rich in nutrients, but in color as well. For example, instead of simply cooking foods like chicken and potatoes, try to add more color to your plate in the form of colorful vegetables like carrots or spinach. To learn more about how to add color to your plate, go here.
There have been many events around Delaware County that have been indicating the importance of nutrition in our foods. The Delaware County Hunger Coalition and DIFAN held its annual Hunger Conference earlier this month entitled “The Challenge of Feeding Our Diverse Communities in Delaware County.” The conference emphasized cultural differences in food and the need to address food and nutrition in a culturally sensitive manner. Also this past week was the grand opening of a permanent location for the Chester Co-Op, now located on the Avenue of the States. The Co-Op is a community owned grocery store in Chester that provides residents with access to nutritious and fresh foods like locally grown fruits and vegetables, among others. The Chester Co-Op will be significant in providing residents in an area with no grocery store with the ability to feed themselves with foods that will provide nutritional sustenance. Not only are events like the Hunger Conference and the Chester Co-Op’s opening making nutrition a priority, but also food pantries throughout the county are ensuring that foods donated are lower in fat and contain nutrients necessary to lead a healthy life. Delaware County is clearly trying to make nutrition a priority!
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