Dissecting my job: What is The Benefit Bank?

Now that I have explained what VISTA is and where my paycheck comes from, on to the next organization I work with: Second Harvest Food Banks and the Benefit Bank.


The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF) provide food to people who need it.
Within OASHF is the Benefit Bank, an organization that helps people in poverty get access to governmental benefits like food stamps, cash assistance, and Medicade. It does this by training people to use the online Benefit Bank software to fill out benefits applications electronically and submit them to Job and Family Services online.

www.obb.ohio.gov

This helps cut down the wait time to process the applications and educates the applicants on the process and documents needed to complete the application. The Benefit Bank started out as a VISTA project and is now staffed mostly by VISTAs and former VISTAs. It's grown astronomically in the past five years, and I hope it continues to grow and sustain itself.