*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***  HARRISBURG, Pa. (April 4, 2024) --- Pennsylvanians face more barriers than ever to accessing enough nutritious food, and the impact of hunger on communities is enormous. The “Ending Hunger in PA Checklist” offers public policy solutions for the state’s overburdened charitable food network.    The Pennsylvania Hunger Action Coalition — which comprises dozens of anti-hunger, religious, anti-poverty, socio-economic, and other nonprofit organizations working not only to fight hunger but also to address the underlying root causes&nbs ..read more

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Feb. 6, 2024) --- Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2024-25 General Fund budget would increase funding by $3 million for the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) while holding the line on both the State Food Purchase Program (SFPP) and the newer Senior Food Box Program. Recognizing how important these programs are in the fight against hunger, the governor’s budget for the first time presents each program separately as its own line item within the appropriation for the state Department of Agriculture. Previously, the three programs were lumped into one appropriation. Sti ..read more

Published October 6, 2023 JORDAN ANDERSON | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ​​Donald King was sitting on the porch of his Sheraden home, waiting to pick up his grandkids the school bus stop, when the delivery arrived. “You can set that right there,” he told the delivery worker, pointing to the doorstep. “Thank you.” He receives this package, a Senior Food Box, every month, as part of a federal program that provides canned goods and other healthy pantry staples to low-income individuals over age 60. But rather than having to pick up the food himself as he juggles his household of seven people, the Gre ..read more

Pennsylvania legislators joined forces this week to raise more than $140,000 for local food banks through Harrisburg’s annual Capitol All-Stars softball game, in which bipartisan teams of lawmakers faced off at FNB Field on City Island. This year even included a pierogi race! And while the “Youse” and “Yinz” teams fought for bragging rights, the real winners were the lawmakers, volunteers and all others involved who helped raise an impressive sum for a good cause. Click the photos below to see each post from various legislators and organizations that participated ..read more

Published 09/19/2023 ​Bethlehem, PA – Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding visited New Bethany Choice Food Pantry in Bethlehem to announce awards of more than $1.6 million to 40 food banks, pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens across Pennsylvania through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Reach and Resiliency Grants. Today's grant awards recognize Hunger Action Month, and demonstrate the Shapiro Administration's commitment to fighting hunger and food insecurity and increasing access to healthy food for Pennsylvanians, wherever they live. "No one should go hungry in a state ..read more

Published 09/09/23 10:00 AM ET Sheila Christopher, Marcos Gaucin and Susan Goodell Access to nutritious food has always been a challenge for elderly individuals with low incomes, no matter where they live. Just three years ago, we were all confronted with how to serve our neighbors in the face of pandemic-era lockdowns that kept everyone but essential workers home, ratcheted up demand for charitable food, and forced us to quickly pivot decades-old ways of keeping our communities fed. While it was a period of uncertainty for everyone, life for too many senior citizens became especially complex ..read more

Shapiro Administration Visits Fayette County Farm Providing Low-Income Seniors and Families with Fresh, Local Food through Farmers Market Nutrition Program AUGUST 04, 2023 - BROWNSVILLE, PA Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich visited the market at Duda's Farm in Brownsville, Fayette County, a participating partner in Pennsylvania's Farmers Market Nutrition Program. The program provides Pennsylvania's low-income seniors and families with vouchers to purchase fresh, local fruit and vegetables at farmers markets and farm stands statewide. "In a state as re ..read more

Brad Moore, chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson, recently joined Hunger-Free PA and members of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania, along with DoorDash federal government relations manager Robert Yeakel, for a Senior Food Box Program distribution in Franklin, Venango County. Hunger-Free PA is working to bring this delivery program, in partnership with DoorDash, to more communities, especially rural areas. Congress currently is considering the “Delivering for Rural Seniors Act of 2023,” which, among other things, would authorize a three-year pilot grant program ..read more

Since 2018, Project DASH has helped broaden food access in communities across the U.S. and Canada, powering more than 5 million deliveries of food equal to an estimated 80 million meals to people experiencing food insecurity. Since 2018, Project DASH has empowered food banks, food pantries, and other social impact organizations to use DoorDash logistics to power the delivery of charitable food and other essential items. Today, we’re announcing that Project DASH has reached a new milestone of 5 million deliveries of an estimated 80 million meals across the U.S. and Canada. “Home delivery is no ..read more

Posted to Politics June 26, 2023 by Sheila Christopher Pennsylvania’s charitable food network is overwhelmed, especially in Philadelphia’s collar counties, a region often associated with affluence rather than hunger. Demand for food assistance remains above pre-pandemic levels, and new challenges continue to put a strain on food banks’ operations. Higher fuel prices and inflationary costs are cutting into the limited resources food banks have to operate, especially amid years of chronic underfunding. The rising cost of food is a significant hardship not only for individuals but for services l ..read more