I recently joined my colleagues in the Hunger Caucus in opening the state’s Hunger Garden at the Capitol. Since 2010, this annual event has been celebrated and kick-starts our activities in support of our farmers and citizens. As co-chair of the bipartisan and bicameral legislative caucus, I am proud of the work and partnership involved in this effort from the master gardener program of the Penn State Cooperative Extension which tends to the land, to Feeding Pennsylvania (our statewide association), and to the many food pantries and food banks that help distribute food to our citizens in need.
As this season starts, I have reflected upon former state Sen. Michael Brubaker’s original intentions for creating this caucus and its value in the fight to eliminate hunger and food insecurity in the commonwealth. After the global financial collapse of 2008, Brubaker, of Lancaster, R-36th Dist., saw many Pennsylvanians were facing economic situations not seen since the Great Recession
Pennsylvania Dairymen s Association to Partner with Weis Markets mychesco.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mychesco.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Op-Ed: Hunger and Food Insecurity in Pennsylvania mychesco.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mychesco.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Since March 2020, Pennsylvaniaâs food banks have provided more than 283 million pounds of food. Food banks and the dedicated volunteers who have staffed their distribution operations have served an average of 551,700 people around the commonwealth each week. These networks provide fresh, healthy produce, dairy products, proteins, and shelf-stable products to help individuals and families in their communities meet this essential need.
Pennsylvania has also leveraged an authority granted through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to request additional funds through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a federally-funded food assistance program that helps more than 1.8 million Pennsylvanians by providing money each month to spend on groceries, helping households to purchase enough food to avoid going hungry.