Food stamps go where they’re needed

State finding success with outreach to Columbia County eligible food stamp recipients

By Erica Ryberg

The South County Spotlight, Sep 16, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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When 19-year-old Madison Ryan arrived in Oregon in early September she came to stay with friends with plans to look for a job. In a tough local economy, it made sense to her to get food stamp benefits to tide her over while she looked. She went to the St. Helens DHS office and received the Oregon Trail Card that gives her access to benefits on the same day.

“It was actually a very positive experience,” she said.

When she signed up, she joined the 7,579 other Columbia County residents who also receive them. And she departed a remarkably sparse population, only about 342 people, who are eligible in the county but don’t receive them.

That’s a source of pride for Pam Ruddell, who manages the the local self-sufficiency office within the Department of Health Services. Ruddell said her team has worked to access as many people as possible who might need help and set them up with benefits. To that end, she’s hired more staffers and changed her office’s intake process.

“We get you in and out within an hour — if you’re prepared when you come in, you’ll have benefits when you leave,” Ruddell said. “You can go to the store.”

She also works with community partners including libraries,

schools and the Commun-ity Action Team to make sure that people know about the programs her agency offers. As a result, Ruddell said, only Deschutes County serves a higher proportion of its eligible population.

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