Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Hurricanes: Katrina/Rita
On Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast just outside New Orleans, submerging neighborhoods up to their roofs, swamping Mississippi beachfront casinos, and killing many people. My thoughts and prayers go out everyone impacted by this storm, especially to my friends in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
Here is a list of relief organizations for your information and use:
America's Second Harvest
American Red Cross
Salvation Army
Adventist Community Services
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
FEMA Charity Tips
Humane Society of the United States
Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Catholic Charities USA
Church World Service
Episcopal Relief & Development
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief
United Methodist Committee on Relief
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Rita, which hit the United States on Saturday, September 24, 2005, caused its greatest harm in less-populated areas of Louisiana and Texas, near Beaumont and Port Arthur. It landed with a few blows but no knockout.
Here is a list of relief organizations for your information and use:
America's Second Harvest
American Red Cross
Salvation Army
Adventist Community Services
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
FEMA Charity Tips
Humane Society of the United States
Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Catholic Charities USA
Church World Service
Episcopal Relief & Development
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief
United Methodist Committee on Relief
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Rita, which hit the United States on Saturday, September 24, 2005, caused its greatest harm in less-populated areas of Louisiana and Texas, near Beaumont and Port Arthur. It landed with a few blows but no knockout.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Pennsylvania Food Stamp Program: CAP Project
Posted on Wed, Aug. 10, 2005, Philadelphia Inquirer
Seniors get help with food stamp application
The daunting form is among the reasons many older people do not apply. A new program can streamline the process. By Kathy Boccella Inquirer Staff Writer
Oscar Benevento, 87, is barely able to put food on the table, but like many people his age, he doesn't want to bother with food stamps.
"Too many questions," he said of the application form, which he tried filling out once. "It was disgusting."
For these stalwarts of the Great Depression and World War II, taking a handout does not come easy - and neither is going through the cumbersome application process.
Filling out a 10-page form, renewing it every six months, going to an in-office interview "is a problem for some people," said Myra Kodner, who does food stamp outreach for Montgomery County.
But a new program aimed at streamlining the application process should help some elderly residents in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The change is part of a larger effort funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that targets needy seniors - the least likely to accept food stamps.
Only 29 percent of eligible seniors nationwide got food stamps - actually a debit card - compared with 60 percent of those eligible in the general population in 2002, the last year for which data are available.
In Pennsylvania, the rate is 31 percent, but locally, the figures could be much lower. A 2004 survey by Philadelphia Health Management Corp., which used slightly different income and age criteria from the federal government's, said that just 13.5 percent of eligible seniors used food stamps in the region.
Beginning in November in Pennsylvania and January in New Jersey, low-income seniors and disabled people who live alone and receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will be able to file a simplified application for food stamps at local Social Security offices.
"We know that people on SSI are generally eligible" for food stamps, said Ed Zogby of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. "Our computers will match the information."
The partnership, called CAP, for Combined Application Project, operates in six other states and has had dramatic results. In South Carolina, the percentage of SSI recipients getting food stamps jumped 12 percent in four years after the program was implemented, according to Zogby.
"It's gone a long way in helping" the elderly get the help they need, said Jean Daniel, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
And more changes could be on the way.
The USDA earlier this month released a report showing that three pilot programs operating as county demonstrations in six states raised senior participation in the food stamp program by 20 to 35 percent. The models reduced time spent applying for food stamps, provided help with the application, and offered the seniors the option of accepting food instead of food stamps.
Benevento, a retired real estate agent and developer who lost everything in the 1970s when mortgage rates zoomed to 22 percent, now lives alone in a subsidized apartment in Royersford. Having to apply for food stamps was "degrading" and an ordeal, he said.
With an income of $360 from Social Security and $340 from a pension, "I certainly did qualify, but I said the hell with it," he said.
Instead, he eases the strain by lining up for free bags of groceries at a community center once a week. That, too, is an embarrassment. "I go for the freebies. What a disgrace," he said, walking home from the cupboard with his free food.
Experts say the most likely reason for the lack of participation was the stigma associated with taking a government handout, though lack of information and a cumbersome application process are also factors.
"They don't like to ask for help," said Karen Wilson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, which has targeted seniors with an outreach campaign.
Kodner said that while many people don't know that they are eligible - net income for a single person cannot exceed $776 a month - others want nothing to do with the program.
"The applications are difficult to understand. It's hard for highly literate people to understand."
Others are reluctant to go through a cumbersome process if they think they are going to get the minimum, $10 a month. The USDA says about 44 percent of seniors receive the minimum payment.
But Annie Beckwith, a 65-year-old grandmother from West Philadelphia, said that the $10 she receives goes toward buying the kind of healthy - and expensive - foods that help control her diabetes.
"I save it for a few months and buy some salmon from the Acme market," she said.
Beckwith, who pays $186 for a studio apartment from a $600 monthly income, didn't know she was eligible for food stamps until a volunteer at a food cupboard told her.
It's been a big help, she said, especially since she has to watch what she eats and the food that she gets for free is not always good for her diet.
Wilson, a nutritionist, couldn't agree more. "We all end up paying a lot more if people develop diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease and then they don't have the money to buy the foods they need to control those diseases," she said.
But reaching people such as Beckwith is a challenge for Kodner and others. At the community center in Royersford on a recent afternoon, more people brushed by than stopped to listen.
Eleanor Kutereach, 77, was interested but unsure whether she qualified.
To get food stamps, two people must have less than $1,041 in monthly income. Certain expenses, like housing, child support, medical bills or child care, are deductible.
What she did know was that with her husband disabled from a stroke and medical bills to pay, "it's rough for us."
Kodner gave Kutereach her card and told her to call for help with the application. She said of the application process: "It's information overload."
Contact Inquirer staff writer Kathy Boccella at kboccella@phillynews.com or 610-313-8123.
Seniors get help with food stamp application
The daunting form is among the reasons many older people do not apply. A new program can streamline the process. By Kathy Boccella Inquirer Staff Writer
Oscar Benevento, 87, is barely able to put food on the table, but like many people his age, he doesn't want to bother with food stamps.
"Too many questions," he said of the application form, which he tried filling out once. "It was disgusting."
For these stalwarts of the Great Depression and World War II, taking a handout does not come easy - and neither is going through the cumbersome application process.
Filling out a 10-page form, renewing it every six months, going to an in-office interview "is a problem for some people," said Myra Kodner, who does food stamp outreach for Montgomery County.
But a new program aimed at streamlining the application process should help some elderly residents in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The change is part of a larger effort funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that targets needy seniors - the least likely to accept food stamps.
Only 29 percent of eligible seniors nationwide got food stamps - actually a debit card - compared with 60 percent of those eligible in the general population in 2002, the last year for which data are available.
In Pennsylvania, the rate is 31 percent, but locally, the figures could be much lower. A 2004 survey by Philadelphia Health Management Corp., which used slightly different income and age criteria from the federal government's, said that just 13.5 percent of eligible seniors used food stamps in the region.
Beginning in November in Pennsylvania and January in New Jersey, low-income seniors and disabled people who live alone and receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will be able to file a simplified application for food stamps at local Social Security offices.
"We know that people on SSI are generally eligible" for food stamps, said Ed Zogby of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. "Our computers will match the information."
The partnership, called CAP, for Combined Application Project, operates in six other states and has had dramatic results. In South Carolina, the percentage of SSI recipients getting food stamps jumped 12 percent in four years after the program was implemented, according to Zogby.
"It's gone a long way in helping" the elderly get the help they need, said Jean Daniel, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
And more changes could be on the way.
The USDA earlier this month released a report showing that three pilot programs operating as county demonstrations in six states raised senior participation in the food stamp program by 20 to 35 percent. The models reduced time spent applying for food stamps, provided help with the application, and offered the seniors the option of accepting food instead of food stamps.
Benevento, a retired real estate agent and developer who lost everything in the 1970s when mortgage rates zoomed to 22 percent, now lives alone in a subsidized apartment in Royersford. Having to apply for food stamps was "degrading" and an ordeal, he said.
With an income of $360 from Social Security and $340 from a pension, "I certainly did qualify, but I said the hell with it," he said.
Instead, he eases the strain by lining up for free bags of groceries at a community center once a week. That, too, is an embarrassment. "I go for the freebies. What a disgrace," he said, walking home from the cupboard with his free food.
Experts say the most likely reason for the lack of participation was the stigma associated with taking a government handout, though lack of information and a cumbersome application process are also factors.
"They don't like to ask for help," said Karen Wilson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, which has targeted seniors with an outreach campaign.
Kodner said that while many people don't know that they are eligible - net income for a single person cannot exceed $776 a month - others want nothing to do with the program.
"The applications are difficult to understand. It's hard for highly literate people to understand."
Others are reluctant to go through a cumbersome process if they think they are going to get the minimum, $10 a month. The USDA says about 44 percent of seniors receive the minimum payment.
But Annie Beckwith, a 65-year-old grandmother from West Philadelphia, said that the $10 she receives goes toward buying the kind of healthy - and expensive - foods that help control her diabetes.
"I save it for a few months and buy some salmon from the Acme market," she said.
Beckwith, who pays $186 for a studio apartment from a $600 monthly income, didn't know she was eligible for food stamps until a volunteer at a food cupboard told her.
It's been a big help, she said, especially since she has to watch what she eats and the food that she gets for free is not always good for her diet.
Wilson, a nutritionist, couldn't agree more. "We all end up paying a lot more if people develop diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease and then they don't have the money to buy the foods they need to control those diseases," she said.
But reaching people such as Beckwith is a challenge for Kodner and others. At the community center in Royersford on a recent afternoon, more people brushed by than stopped to listen.
Eleanor Kutereach, 77, was interested but unsure whether she qualified.
To get food stamps, two people must have less than $1,041 in monthly income. Certain expenses, like housing, child support, medical bills or child care, are deductible.
What she did know was that with her husband disabled from a stroke and medical bills to pay, "it's rough for us."
Kodner gave Kutereach her card and told her to call for help with the application. She said of the application process: "It's information overload."
Contact Inquirer staff writer Kathy Boccella at kboccella@phillynews.com or 610-313-8123.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Tips for Preventing Identity Theft
Identity theft affects all of us - even if we are not personally a victim of identity theft. The loss to individuals is high, but the losses to institutions and businesses is transferred to each of us as consumers.
In addition to financial loss, identity theft can negatively affect your credit rating, making it more difficult to purchase a car or home, and much more.
Taking some simple steps can help you reduce your chances of becoming a victim.
Some suggestions were shared with our staff, and we now share them with you:
1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.
2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED".
3. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.
4. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks. You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.
5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel.
Keep the photocopy in a safe, secure place place.
6. When you check out of a hotel that uses cards for keys (and they all seem to do that now), don't turn the "keys" in. Take them with you and destroy them. Those little cards have on them all of the information you gave the hotel, including address and credit card numbers and expiration dates. Someone with a card reader, or employee of the hotel, can access all that information with no problem whatsoever.
Some other tips include:
1. When using a debit card at the ATM or to pay at a store, use your body to shield the transaction from onlookers. Don't let others see your card number or PIN number.
2. Only purchase online from reputable, secure sites.
3. Do not give out any personal information to someone you do not know and trust.
4. Do not give out account information in response to emails from known companies such as AOL or Ebay claiming your account information needs to be updated. Often these look very authentic, but the practice is known as "phishing" and is a great way to use your identity and/or charge to your credit card.
5. If you receive notification that you won a contest you never entered, beware. Unless you can verify that this was a legitimate contest, do not give out any personal information. Most are scams, or may be sales techniques for vacation properties, etc. Be sure to get the details and verify the legitimacy of any offer.
6. Cut up used cards; shred mail no longer needed that has credit card, social security number or other personally identifying information. For paperwork you retain, store it in a secure location.
7. If you are away, arrange for a trusted friend or relative to pick up your mail as soon after delivery as possible, or have your mail held by the post office.
8. Request a copy of your credit rating regularly. Most credit reporting companies allow you at least one free copy of your credit report. It is better to find an error or problem before you need to send a copy to a potential lender.
Resources
Federal Trade Commission ID Theft Pamphlet
Federal Trade Commission Consumer Facts on Identity Theft
Department of Justice Identity Theft Prevention
A Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission Accredited Agency
Crime Prevention Center Home Safety Hazard Report Form Annoying Telephone Calls ATM Safety Auto Theft Bicycle Theft Carjacking & Car Theft Child Safety Computer Safety Credit Card Safety Emergency Phones on Campus Internet Scams & Spam Operation ID Pedestrian Safety Personal Property Inventory Residence Hall Theft Theft Prevention Workplace Violence Return to Public Safety Home
Copyright © 2005 Mount Holyoke College. This page created by Department of Public Safety and maintained by Jeanne Tripp. Last modified on May 11, 2005.
In addition to financial loss, identity theft can negatively affect your credit rating, making it more difficult to purchase a car or home, and much more.
Taking some simple steps can help you reduce your chances of becoming a victim.
Some suggestions were shared with our staff, and we now share them with you:
1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.
2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED".
3. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.
4. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks. You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.
5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel.
Keep the photocopy in a safe, secure place place.
6. When you check out of a hotel that uses cards for keys (and they all seem to do that now), don't turn the "keys" in. Take them with you and destroy them. Those little cards have on them all of the information you gave the hotel, including address and credit card numbers and expiration dates. Someone with a card reader, or employee of the hotel, can access all that information with no problem whatsoever.
Some other tips include:
1. When using a debit card at the ATM or to pay at a store, use your body to shield the transaction from onlookers. Don't let others see your card number or PIN number.
2. Only purchase online from reputable, secure sites.
3. Do not give out any personal information to someone you do not know and trust.
4. Do not give out account information in response to emails from known companies such as AOL or Ebay claiming your account information needs to be updated. Often these look very authentic, but the practice is known as "phishing" and is a great way to use your identity and/or charge to your credit card.
5. If you receive notification that you won a contest you never entered, beware. Unless you can verify that this was a legitimate contest, do not give out any personal information. Most are scams, or may be sales techniques for vacation properties, etc. Be sure to get the details and verify the legitimacy of any offer.
6. Cut up used cards; shred mail no longer needed that has credit card, social security number or other personally identifying information. For paperwork you retain, store it in a secure location.
7. If you are away, arrange for a trusted friend or relative to pick up your mail as soon after delivery as possible, or have your mail held by the post office.
8. Request a copy of your credit rating regularly. Most credit reporting companies allow you at least one free copy of your credit report. It is better to find an error or problem before you need to send a copy to a potential lender.
Resources
Federal Trade Commission ID Theft Pamphlet
Federal Trade Commission Consumer Facts on Identity Theft
Department of Justice Identity Theft Prevention
A Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission Accredited Agency
Crime Prevention Center Home Safety Hazard Report Form Annoying Telephone Calls ATM Safety Auto Theft Bicycle Theft Carjacking & Car Theft Child Safety Computer Safety Credit Card Safety Emergency Phones on Campus Internet Scams & Spam Operation ID Pedestrian Safety Personal Property Inventory Residence Hall Theft Theft Prevention Workplace Violence Return to Public Safety Home
Copyright © 2005 Mount Holyoke College. This page created by Department of Public Safety and maintained by Jeanne Tripp. Last modified on May 11, 2005.
