Policy and Advocacy With more details on PA and Philadelphia area reopening plans shared this week, along with the approval of a COVID vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, there is good reason to be hopeful. However, we offer a reminder that the road to recovery – on many fronts – will be long. This is particularly true for Black, Latino, Indigenous, and immigrant households that have faced particularly harsh health and economic fallout of the pandemic. CBPP continues to track the data findings of the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey in its COVID Hardship Watch. Its analysis of April data reveals that families with children continue to struggle to have enough food and that food and housing hardships are even greater for renter households. |
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These findings remind us that we need to do all we can to connect families to available benefits and ensure those benefits stretch as far as possible. - Please help us share this flyer about SNAP eligibility for immigrant and mixed-status families. Right now, it is particularly important for families with young children (ages 0-5) that are eligible but not enrolled in SNAP to apply so their families not only receive SNAP, but also get access to P-EBT benefits.
- We’re also re-sharing a flyer we circulated last week about SNAP Emergency Allotments and the “back benefits” that are starting to be issued as a result of the CLS settlement with USDA on behalf of PA families. Many families are surprised to receive these benefits and might rush to spend them. Please see the flyer to learn correct information about this extra SNAP!
 - Lastly, we’ve also heard that some families are confusing the SNAP Emergency Allotments (EAs) with P-EBT, or that they are worried about P-EBT in general. On Wednesday, May 26 at 7 pm, we are holding a webinar with our partners Just Harvest to go over everything that you need to know about Pandemic EBT (P-EBT). We’ll talk about:
o Payment amounts for school-age kids, o P-EBT for young children on SNAP, o When to expect payments, and o What to do if something goes wrong. |
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SNAP Hotline Our SNAP Hotline continues to operate Monday – Thursday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and on Friday from 9:00 am to 4 pm at 215-430-0556. Here is the City of Philadelphia list of COVID-19 food distribution sites locations across Philadelphia for student, senior and outdoor food pick up sites. Here is a listing (phone numbers and addresses) of all Philadelphia County Assistance offices. Note, however, when calling it is often quicker to contact the Customer Service Center at 215-560-7226 (Philadelphia) or 877-395-8930 (statewide). |
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Food Pantry & Soup Kitchens For the month of April our Victory In Partnership (VIP) partners, through the Coalition’s Food Rescue Program distributed 16,350 pounds of food and water to 690 households serving 1,990 individuals. |
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