Dear Friends, As we move into the month of October, the Coalition team and board continue our work to meet the needs of individuals and families experiencing food insecurity amidst the backdrop of COVID-19 and the current economic crisis. Growing out of our commitment to Black Lives Matter, we continue our work to provide voter registration information in partnership with ACLU PA. Help us continue this work by joining us for one of our LIVE fall events; Virtual Voting Rights Town Hall with the ACLU PA on Tuesday, October 13 at 12:00 p.m. . Advocacy Many of you are already aware of the very disappointing news that came from DC earlier this week. With the pandemic’s economic impact and challenges to making ends meet only getting worse for many area families, multiple news outlets reported that President Trump halted negotiations on a federal COVID relief package until after the November election. While he has since signaled some willingness to resume discussions, tremendous uncertainty remains. Additional federal help may not come for at least a couple of months, despite the fact that: o Analysis of the latest Census Household Pulse Data clearly demonstrates severe ongoing hardship, and o A local Pew survey found that about half of Philadelphians report experiencing one or more economic challenges because of the pandemic. In fact, 28%. had problems paying for food! On a brighter note, DHS reported that there has been recent progress on P-EBT! Two important things have occurred: o In the last two weeks, approximately 10,000 P-EBT cards have been issued, covering benefits for 24,000 children who had who did not yet receive their benefits this summer (P-EBT provides funds to buy food to make up for free and reduced-price school meals that were lost due to school closures), and o DHS is centralizing the P-EBT customer service process. Now, families that have an issue with their P-EBT card can call the P-EBT Resource Line at 484-363-2137. Callers should include their child or children’s name, date of birth, school, and school district in the voicemail, and provide a short explanation of their concern and the best number to contact them. We also have some good news regarding the deadline to file for Economic Impact Payments (EIPs, also known as stimulus checks). As a reminder, 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.) Last week, we reported that the deadline to file was fast approaching on October 15th. The IRS has extended the deadline for non-filers to November 21st! This means that you all have time to spread this important information among your churches, networks, friends, and families. Filing online is a quick and easy process! Need a little more support? Watch our instructional video that takes you through the entire process from start to finish. - Another bright spot is that the United States Census Bureau will follow the federal judge’s order to return to the October 31 end date for the Census (the “deadline” has changed and most recently had been Oct. 5). That provides just over three weeks for us, our families, friends, and community members to be counted! If you haven’t already done so, you can respond to the Census here.
Outreach This week, the Community Education team continues to provide our supporters with the most current information by sharing our updated senior resources flyer. This flyer is aimed at clients 60+ and contains resources available in Philadelphia and throughout the 5-county region. In response to the COVID pandemic, many anti-hunger programs for seniors have switched their services to food delivery and grab & go meals. This means that seniors can continue to access food resources safely as the pandemic continues to run its course. Please explore the resources shared on this flyer and share it widely among your communities! Food Pantry and Soup Kitchens Due to the seriousness of this pandemic, we know holiday meals will look different this year for everyone. If you are the director/coordinator of a food pantry or soup kitchen, we are interested in knowing how your program will be doing things differently this year and what types of support you need. Also, let us know if you need volunteers to help you! Please call Tanya at the Coalition Against Hunger at 215-430-0555, extension 101. SNAP Hotline Story This past Tuesday morning one of our SNAP counselors connected with a veteran and recently laid off school bus driver who is supporting herself and two children on a $142 pension. “She was so calm, so nice, and so pleasant despite everything she was going through”, the SNAP counselor recalled. The new client is currently on pension and receiving treatment for her PTSD she is also dealing with a bankruptcy and home foreclosure with no family support. After learning more about the client our SNAP counselor filed their application immediately, including in the comments that “she isn’t receiving any other income, no SSI, no SSD”. The counselor states with admiration that the client “never complained once” and the client reports she “knows how use every dollar of her pension”. By late Tuesday afternoon the clients application was approved! “She's going to burst into tears!” recalled our counselor when she received the approval notification. Our SNAP Hotline operates Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at 215-430-0556. Our SNAP Hotline team continues to help individuals and households navigate the SNAP application process. In addition to SNAP applications, our SNAP Hotline team is receiving many questions regarding voter registration, PEBT, and rental assistance.
WHAT CAN YOU DO? - Sign up to receive our up to date Advocacy Alerts.
- Make a donation or Become a Monthly Donor to support our work.
- Join us for the Coalition’s Night to Fight Hunger Virtual Gala. via Facebook or YouTube Live! November 12, 2020 at 6:30 pm. ALL ARE FREE TO ATTEND. Music. Silent auction.
Silent auction October 30 - November 8. Your support is more important now than ever! Register or Make a donation today. Visit: www.nighttofighthunger.com. We strive to build a community where all people have the food they need to lead healthy lives. Hunger is preventable. Thank you for your continued support of our work! The Coalition Against Hunger Team | 
