“Low-income Pennsylvania families who have lost wages related to the COVID-19 pandemic could be eligible for a one-time payment from the state, human service officials announced Friday….”
News Items Archive
Pennsylvania to provide $370.50 for low-income parents to replace cost of school meals
“Pennsylvania has gotten permission from the federal government to provide a one-time $370.50 payment to parents of each child who receives free or reduced school lunch to cover the cost feeding kids while schools are closed. The benefit will go to families of 958,000 school-aged children and are intended to offset the costs of feeding […]
Lawrenceville and Bloomfield markets lead the way, open with pandemic protocols
“On Sat., May 9, the Bloomfield Saturday Market will open for the season, but things will look drastically different. Rather than the typical lot packed with mingling, chatting shoppers and farmers, consumers (in limited numbers) will be directed on a one-way path through vendors spaced six-feet apart, following strict social distancing guidelines….”
Sawyer Series: “Bread and Water,” Food Insecurity and Sickness
“The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation granted Carnegie Mellon University $225,000 for a 2019-2020 Sawyer Seminar on “Bread and Water: Access, Belonging and Environmental Justice in the City.” The seminar brought international scholars together with Pittsburgh-area experts to uncover the barriers and limits to urban food and water systems in comparative perspective….”
More Americans are going hungry amid economic crisis — and many can’t get help
“The current economic crisis means rising demand for food stamps. While Congress has passed additional benefits for some recipients, a large percentage of the poorest households did not get an increase. Meanwhile, many people, from college students now at home to those at high-risk for COVID-19, are facing new complications in accessing their benefits….”
Need for food assistance may surge in PA
“During this crisis, some say more needs to be done to help the hungry In Pennsylvania as the number of people who need food stamps is expected to surge. Right now, about 1.7 million Pennsylvanians use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called food stamps, but that number is rising…”
Food assistance increases amid pandemic
“As the number of Coronavirus cases rise, the head of a PA-based anti-hunger organization says some Pennsylvanians will need more help when it comes to getting access to food….”
Western Pa. farmers markets to open with covid-19 twists, precautions
“…Farmers markets across the region are grappling with how to adjust their operations to get food into households while observing government-mandated social distancing in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. The markets are considered essential and some vendors can accept government food assistance benefits….”
Lawmakers turn to SNAP benefits and online delivery in next phase of COVID-19 legislation
“As Congress turns to the next round of legislation to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic fallout, the battle over food stamps likely will be the center of a heated debate. Lawmakers will be debating an expansion of food stamp benefits and a major investment in grocery delivery for food stamp recipients — two provisions […]
We have to ensure Pa.’s most vulnerable have access to food during COVID-19 | Opinion
“…HR 843 is a great start, and organizations like Just Harvest and the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council have taken it a step further by drafting a letter to Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Teresa D. Miller requesting that Pennsylvania apply to participate in the SNAP pilot program and to open the online purchasing pilot […]
