Pro bono award honors LAD for food stamp screening project

Legal Aid and Defender Association Inc. (LAD) received the 2011 Pro Bono Best Practice Award for its online food stamp screening project from the National Association of Pro Bono Professionals (NAPBPro).

NAPBPro presented the award to LAD at the 2011 Equal Justice Conference of the American Bar Association and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.

The project was designed to identify children and families who are eligible for food stamps but do not receive them or who do receive them but are eligible for larger grants.

LAD has conducted eight food stamp screening clinics at public elementary schools in Detroit and Pontiac in 2010 and 2011. Volunteer pro bono attorneys from the Ford Motor Company staffed seven of the clinics, and a grant from the Ford Motor Company Fund supported the project. Pro bono attorneys from Dykema Gossett PLLC staffed the eighth clinic. LAD staff trained the attorneys to screen participants using laptop computers and Internet access provided by the schools.

"We are pleased with the project," said Lynda Krupp, managing attorney of LAD's Private Attorney Involvement unit. "It has helped a number of families' access food stamp benefits."

"The project provided tangible benefits to people in need," said David Leitch, group vice president and general counsel, Ford Motor Company. "It's gratifying in these difficult economic times to contribute in some small way to the community."

Anyone seeking legal services can call LAD at (877) 964-4700 or visit http://www.ladadetroit.org.

Published: Wed, Nov 2, 2011

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