HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Hearing Email Comments - ACRS request for Food AssistanceCindy,
Please include this email thread as part of the public hearing comments from last night’s meeting. Thank you,
-Jason
From: Julia Medzegian <Jmedzegian@Rentonwa.gov>
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2020 9:26 PM
To: Jason Seth <JSeth@Rentonwa.gov>
Cc: Ed Prince <EPrince@Rentonwa.gov>; Ruth Pérez <RPerez@Rentonwa.gov>; Armondo Pavone <armondopavone@gmail.com>; Randy Corman <racorman@comcast.net>; Ryan McIrvin <RMcIrvin@Rentonwa.gov>;
Kim-Khánh Văn <KVan@Rentonwa.gov>; Valerie O'Halloran <VOHalloran@Rentonwa.gov>; Angelina Benedetti <ABenedetti@Rentonwa.gov>; Armondo Pavone <APavone@Rentonwa.gov>
Subject: FW: ACRS Request for Food Assistance
Jason,
I'm guesing this comment was intended for the public hearing.
Julia
-------- Original message --------
From: Elisa Del Rosario <ElisaD@acrs.org>
Date: 6/22/20 6:42 PM (GMT-08:00)
To: Council <Council@Rentonwa.gov>
Cc: Kim-Khánh Văn <KVan@Rentonwa.gov>, Michael Byun <MichaelB@acrs.org>, G De Castro <GDC@acrs.org>
Subject: ACRS Request for Food Assistance
Dear City of Renton Councilmembers,
ACRS respectfully requests $50,000 to provide $500 grocery gift cards for 100 vulnerable Asian American Pacific Islander families/households residing in the City of Renton during these
challenging times. ACRS has provided food assistance and nutritional meals to the AAPI community throughout King County since 1981 and has experience managing CDBG grants for our Employment
Program (Ready to Work) as well as for our mental health services through the City of Bellevue..
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand at the ACRS Food Bank has increased by 100%. Before the pandemic, the ACRS Food Bank was distributing 850 bags of food per week.
Since early March the Food Bank has been distributing over 1,700 bags of food per week. This demand will likely continue for many more months. Although King County businesses will
gradually re-open, most of the Food Bank clients are elderly and have chronic health or behavioral health conditions that prevent them from working; or are homeless; and/or because of
their LEP status, worked in sectors that will likely not recover or take longer to recover from the pandemic (hospitality, restaurants, small manufacturing) and not reopen or may re-open
later to ensure safety protocols. There is also the issue of lack of childcare for school-aged children when schools remain closed.
ACRS Food Bank has a primary focus of providing culturally appropriate foods for low-income, limited English proficient, Asian American and Pacific Islander individuals and families.
Many of them are older adults/elderly from refugee or immigrant communities who fled economic, social or political upheaval and sought/hoped for better lives in the U.S. Our clients
come from all over Asia and the Pacific Islands, including, but not limited to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Philippines, Samoa, Guam, Nepal, India, Burma,
Pakistan, Japan, etc. We also serve U.S. born AAPIs, as well as recent immigrants and refugees from East Africa and Latin American countries.
The AAPI community, particularly those with minimal education or are limited English proficient (LEP), are at risk for food insecurity due to wide-ranging factors.
· Residing in “food deserts.” Low income areas that lack easy access to healthy foods, due to scarcity of grocery stores or transportation options. Immigrants and refugees may
not be familiar with food items offered through many direct food services.
· Immigration and public assistance. The majority of AAPIs are foreign-born. New immigrants, in the US for less than 5 years, are barred from receiving federal assistance programs
such as SNAP.
· Language proficiency and navigating systems. Unfamiliar with complicated benefits application processes, many face significant barriers navigating complex systems.
· Employment and income. LEP residents without US-based job skills are challenged to compete in this market and forced into low wage jobs and struggle to support families.
· Cost of living and housing. With Seattle/KC’s increasing cost of living, many AAPI families must reprioritize their income to pay for housing and living, leaving less to buy
food.
The above factors have been exacerbated by stay in place safety protocols to prevent the increase of COVID infections, which has resulted in thousands of unemployed adults and increased
demands for food bank resources and general food assistance throughout King County, including Renton.
We appreciate your consideration of our request,
Elisa
Elisa Del Rosario
Pronouns: she/her
Deputy Director
Asian Counseling and Referral Service
3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S
Seattle, WA 98144
(206) 805-8942
www.acrs.org
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