The Annual Ohio Benefit Bank Community Meeting kicked off with registration. Here Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbank's employees are assisting OBB counselors from near and far with agendas, name tags, and general information about the upcoming events.
Settling in and checking out the agenda, these OBB counselors from across the state are waiting for Douglas Lumpkin, the director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and this year's key note speaker, to begin. Mr. Lumpkin spoke of the trails and triumphs at Job and Family Services. After experiencing a budget cut and a spike in applications, JFS emerged on top.
"We have to have the ability to meet people where they are at...and OBB is on the front lines," he stated.
During lunch, a Dateline NBC Presentation was made to the group. Directed by Justin Balding, America Now: Friends and Neighbors went inside the lives of southeast Ohioans facing poverty. This presentation pushed though stereotypes to show hardworking individuals standing in lines at soup kitchens and showcased their journey in seeking better living conditions for their families.
Also, it shows a woman's creative approach to keeping her food pantry running for the thousands of families who depend on it for survival. This woman started a paper plate campaign, urging those in her lines to write on paper plates to be sent to President Obama.
Click here to watch the presentation.
Or for more information about the about the paper plate campaign click here.
Gayle Loyola, the Northwest Ohio Regional Coordinator for the Ohio Benefit Bank, introduced the financial literacy program to the attendees. This session defined the meaning, explained the importance, and outlined the positive impact that this knowledge could potentially have on Ohioans.
During the second day of the meeting, a tax clinic simulator was offered for everyone to attend. Pictured above is registration for the event and a tour guide, an experienced tax counselor and OASHF employee, taking a group around the room to explain the simulation. This helped to ease the minds of new counselors and to spark interest in those who maybe had not considered becoming a tax counselor.
Overall, the event was a great sucess!
