Dear Friends, The current political climate in our country has brought tension and heartache to communities across the Greater Philadelphia region. For our clients and others facing hunger, the political divide is downright dangerous, as they face mounting bills with no indication of when - or if - additional COVID relief will arrive. Now more than ever is the time to support the work of the Coalition by voting on November 3rd and joining us for the annual Virtual Night to Fight Hunger Gala, on Thursday, November 12th, 2020. Food Pantry and Soup Kitchens TAKE OUR SPECIAL SURVEY! We have heard from several food pantries that they need help with providing their clients with ways to prepare unfamiliar foods. Is it canned beans, an usual squash, a mysterious green or a picture of an unknown vegetable? Or do you have recipes that you have already shared with your clients that could help other food pantries? Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen partners, please take a moment to complete this brief survey so we can learn more about how we can best support the needs of your pantry and clients. Your feedback is highly valuable to us and our mission at the Coalition Against Hunger. Thank you! If you prefer to answer these questions over the phone, please call Tanya at the Coalition Against Hunger at 215-430-0555, extension 101. VIP (Victory in Partnership) Project Our VIP Project is a network of food pantry and soup kitchen partners across the region who receive access to additional food resources through the Food Rescue Program, training, peer to peer support, consulting services, and fundraising opportunities from Coalition Community Organizer, Derek Felton and Nutrition Program Manager, Tanya Sen. Over the course of this fiscal year (July 2019-June 2020) our VIP program has maintained 27 active VIP members and 15 active members of the Food Rescue Program, which has delivered 228,600 lbs of food to 7,800 households, serving 23,400 individuals. The next VIP project meeting will take place next Thursday October 8th from 10:30-11:30AM. The closed meeting is reserved for VIP members. If you would like to participate contact Derek Felton, community organizer at (215) 430-0555 ext. 106. SNAP Hotline Our SNAP Hotline team continues to help households navigate the SNAP application process. We are grateful for the ongoing commitment of our SNAP Hotline volunteers to assist us with this process! In addition to SNAP applications, our SNAP Hotline team continues to receive many questions regarding registering to vote, PEBT, and rental assistance. Our SNAP Hotline operates Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 215-430-0556 Advocacy - While many Americans automatically received their Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) in the spring (also known as stimulus checks), an estimated 350,000 Pennsylvanians who are eligible for these payments missed out! Individuals and families who did not file a tax return in 2018 or 2019 need to sign up online to receive their check. (One exception is seniors who receive social security, who were also automatically issued EIPs.) The deadline to file for a stimulus check is quickly approaching - October 15th. We are partnering with the Campaign for Working Families to ensure that everyone, whether they have access to a computer or not, can file before the deadline. For more information, see our EIP Flyer or check out our training PowerPoint for help teaching your community about this important deadline. And to show you just how simple filing online is, we’ve created a short instructional video that takes you through the entire process from start to finish. Please share this information widely!
- As anticipated, the Continuing Resolution (CR) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week was approved by the Senate on Wednesday night, and signed by the President early Thursday morning. The CR keeps the government funded through December 11th. While it provides some much-needed help (such as improved P-EBT and important administrative flexibility for SNAP), millions of families facing unrelenting hardship, as well as states grappling with budget crises, still need a strong COVID relief package.
- On the COVID relief front, on Monday Speaker Pelosi introduced a revised version of the Heroes Act. The revised version has a smaller price tag of $2.2 trillion, retains the 15% increase in SNAP benefits we have fought for, as well as rental assistance, an extension of federal unemployment benefits that were allowed to expire, and aid to state and local governments. Unfortunately, enactment of a bipartisan COVID relief package before the election remains far from certain.
Outreach Our outreach team has a very important update to share with you today. Every October 1, the SNAP income guidelines are updated to reflect the newly calculated federal poverty line. This change can be crucial for anyone who was close to the limit in the previous year. View the new SNAP income guidelines here, and please share this information widely with your network! Still not sure if you qualify? Our SNAP Hotline team can answer any questions you have regarding your eligibility! WHAT CAN YOU DO? - Sign up to receive our up to date Advocacy Alerts.
- Make a donation to support our work.
- Join us for the Coalition’s Virtual Night to Fight Hunger Gala! Tune in to Facebook or YouTube Live on November 12, 2020 at 6:30 pm. Your support is more important now than ever! ALL ARE FREE TO ATTEND! Proceeds will support the Coalition’s work which connects people to emergency food resources through our food pantry network, our SNAP (food stamp) Hotline; and our education and advocacy of policies that create access to nutrition programs for so many people in need. Visit: www.nighttofighthunger.com to learn more, make a donation, contribute an auction item or to RSVP.
Thank you for your support of our work at the Coalition to build a community where all people have the food they need to lead healthy lives. Hunger is preventable! The Coalition Against Hunger Team |
