Washington, DC – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) today awarded the Department of Human Services (DHS), a bonus check in the amount of $440,000 for ensuring that District residents who are eligible for food stamps have access to the program.

Roberto Salazar, administrator for the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, presented a ceremonial check to Yvonne Gilchrist, director of the Department of Human Services and IMA Administrator, Kate Jesberg in the Mayor’s Conference Room at the Wilson Building in Northwest. 

“This is a great honor for the District and the Department of Human Services. We greatly appreciate recognition of our program performance and are certainly committed to meeting Food Stamp and other social service needs of District residents,” Gilchrist said.

"The federal government has consistently recognized the outstanding work of our Income Maintenance Administration (IMA) over several years, and IMA has made the District one of the five most highly awarded jurisdictions in the nation under the Food Stamp bonus structure.”

The District’s Food Stamp program, which is administered by USDA, provides support to needy households and to persons making a transition from welfare to work by allowing low-income families to buy nutritious food. Last year, the program helped feed 86,817 District residents.

“The Washington, DC Department of Human Services is to be commended for this achievement,” Salazar said.

The District has one of the four highest food stamp participant access rates in the nation. As a benchmark of program access and customer service, IMA achieved 95 percent participation among eligible recipients, according to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. Since 2004, the District has received $1.4 million for its successful operation of the Food Stamp Program.