Uncertainty Dear Friends, Many of our callers are looking for answers. They are wondering if they will continue to receive the additional dollars provided by Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC) and if not, asking when they can apply for SNAP benefits. Without the additional dollars from PUC, SNAP benefits become essential to putting food on the table. Alejandra, Claire, and Glory, our SNAP Hotline Team, are working with clients to ensure that their SNAP application reflects their change in August income. For many of us, it is hard to continue to be optimistic with so many unknowns: the ongoing health risks of COVID-19, the loss of jobs that support our families, more questions than answers on how schools and colleges will function in the fall, the assault on Black communities . . .the list goes on. We find inspiration and guidance through the words and courage of Congressman John Lewis. . . “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” We continue our struggle to address food insecurity across the region in the following ways . . . - Our SNAP Hotline team continues to answer questions and help households navigate the SNAP application process through our SNAP Hotline at 215-430-0556, Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Many calls are taking longer than usual as our SNAP Team listens to the anxiety of callers anticipating a loss in income in the month of August and tries to answer questions or provide referrals to resources beyond the caller’s food needs. We continue to advocate on behalf of callers with county offices across the region to ensure that households receive the SNAP benefits they need.
- On the Advocacy and Policy front, we continue to keep tabs on the shifting landscape and how it impacts access to benefits and nutrition programs.
- As school districts in the region have begun announcing plans for fall, it’s clear many will be relying on remote learning and hybrid approaches. Many schools and communities across the country know it’s time to pull together and plan so that no child who loses access to school meals goes hungry, but there’s a monumental hurdle in the way: USDA has extended needed flexibility for school meals (the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs), but it has failed to provide the same flexibility to child nutrition programs that agencies outside of schools use to feed children. This is unacceptable and unwise given the challenges schools are facing. We are working with our anti-hunger partners Just Harvest and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to get as many organizations as possible to sign onto this letter to Secretary Perdue requesting additional waivers so that children can safely get the nutritional support they need to learn, grow, and thrive.
- From DHS in Harrisburg, we learned that the original plan to begin reopening County Assistance Offices has been delayed due to the steady rise of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania. DHS is working to protect the health and safety of its staff and clients while preparing for a potential deluge of SNAP applications if the U.S. Senate rejects an extension of PUC, which is included in the House-passed HEROS Act.
- Just Wednesday, we learned that FNS has decided to re-evaluate waiver requests from several states that it had denied for July. This includes its denial of PA’s request to extend the certification periods, thereby lessening administrative burden on clients and DHS alike. Given the ongoing and enormous barriers to “business as usual” around the country, we are hopeful FNS will grant a much-needed reprieve retroactively for both July and for August.
- Lastly, issuance of P-EBT (the new benefit established in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to provide food assistance to families of students who lost access to free and reduced-price meals) continues. PA had a solid four phase plan on paper, but the reality is that implementing a system for P-EBT to smoothly reach nearly a million students has been a challenge. Delays have occurred with each phase, but DHS and PDE received approval from FNS to implement a Phase 5 step to work through issues with some schools and continues to work to resolve additional problems.
- Our Community Education work to promote summer meals also continues. Each week we update our summer meals map to make sure all sites operating in the 5-county SEPA region for the coming week are included. This week, the total number of summer meals sites in the Greater Philadelphia area reached over the 1,000 mark. Some sites operate for the whole summer; others for a week or two. No matter the duration, we remain in awe of the dedicated hunger fighters - many of whom are volunteers - who are out in full force, even in our current, very challenging circumstances. Bravo!
- As we continue to look for ways to support our local Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen partners, we wanted to share a need from one Hunger Fighter. Eastwick UMC Food Pantry in South Philadelphia is in desperate need of a van to pick up food so they can continue to serve their community every week from Monday through Thursday. The church van that they were using to pick up food on Mondays and Tuesdays is in need of a new transmission. If you know anyone who has a van that they might be able to rent or borrow, please contact Al Kingcade at [email protected] or 302-562-0075.
Hunger is a Racial Issue: Structural Racism and Food Insecurity
This brief is the first in a three-part series covering the effects of racism on food insecurity. This first installment covers the context and extent of racial disparities in food insecurity. Later installments will cover the effects of the pandemic and causes of the disparities. Thank you to Theo Papazekos, Fox Fellow and Coalition Against Hunger Intern for your work on this! WHAT CAN YOU DO? Congressman Lewis also said, “You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone – any person or any force – dampen, dim or diminish your light.” Thank you for your support and the light you shine on our work to connect individuals and families to the food resources they need during this challenging time. -The Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger |
