Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CCAP representative outlines food-pantry demand, asks city to coordinate services
Summary
A CCAP representative told the Winchester City Council committee that roughly 5,500 people — about 20% of the city’s population — use CCAP services and described partnerships and programs intended to move clients toward self-sufficiency while seeking coordination with city staff and nonprofits, not direct funding.
Adria, a representative of CCAP, told a Winchester City Council committee that the local food pantry and associated programs served roughly 5,500 individuals last year — about 20% of the city’s population — and appealed to the city for help coordinating nonprofit services rather than direct funding.
CCAP’s largest program is its food pantry, Adria said, and the organization also operates a clothing house and a financial-aid program. “My fondest hope is to put CCAP out of business,” Adria said, adding that the organization wants to reduce repeat reliance on emergency services by funneling people into job training and other longer-term support.
Why it matters: Adria told the committee CCAP gave about $232,000 in financial aid last year to roughly 1,200 families, issuing up to $200 per family once annually and paying assistance directly to landlords, utilities or other vendors rather than to clients. She said many clients use multiple local assistance programs and that roughly 400 refugees live in the Winchester/Frederick County area and rely on a shrinking set of resettlement staff.
Adria described current partnerships and proposals: a planned United Way grant with four other local pantries to bring more fresh produce into distribution; participation in Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s healthy-pantries initiative; collaboration with Virginia Cooperative Extension and Sinclair Medical Clinic; and a workforce-focused pilot funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints intended to build job and life skills. She said the pilot enrolled 10 people; all obtained work, two received job promotions and one bought a mobility scooter.
Adria warned the city that resettlement staff cuts at Church World Services — which recently reduced staff in the area — will strain local nonprofits that provide wraparound services, and she said language access is a growing challenge because CCAP lacks staff fluent in Pashto, Urdu or Farsi.
She repeatedly said she was not asking the council for money but sought better coordination: “Please understand that I’m not asking for money. I’m asking for help with coordination of services, cooperation between the city and nonprofits,” she said.
Council members thanked Adria for the presentation and asked clarifying questions about the relative size of CCAP programs and how the group plans to scale workforce supports and financial-literacy offerings.
Additional details: Adria listed smaller CCAP offerings such as a “Steel to Hoe Boots” program, bicycle and firewood distributions, and a community “free age” (free-store style) program. She said roughly half of food-pantry clients also use other services and that many clients have recurring, long-term needs tied to fixed incomes and rising housing and grocery costs.
The committee did not take any formal action on the presentation.
