Dear Friends,

We hope you’ll join us at this year’s Night to Fight Hunger Gala on October 14, 2021 at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts for a great night of food and drinks, programming and an auction, as we raise critical funds to support our work to end hunger. Don’t wait to get your tickets, as registration will be closing soon. 

COVID-19 Precautions

To ensure that each guest has a safe and enjoyable experience, we are requiring that all guests, staff, and volunteers attending the Night to Fight Hunger Gala provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination. Guests will be asked to show their physical vaccination card along with a matching photo ID. "Fully Vaccinated" means that guests must show their final COVID-19 vaccine dose was administered at least 14 days prior to October 14, 2021. Proof of a negative COVID test will not be accepted for entrance into the event. In addition, though our event will be held outdoors, all guests are required to wear masks at all times, except while eating or drinking. There will be several sanitizing stations placed throughout the event space. Dinner will be a seated event with guests socially distanced to six per table. 

We appreciate your support of this policy as we do our best to ensure safety for all attendees. If you cannot attend the Gala, please consider making a donation.

SNAP Hotline

Our Coalition Against Hunger SNAP Hotline team is here to help! Whether it’s navigating the SNAP application process or providing case management, our SNAP Hotline team is available to help Monday – Thursday from 9:00am to 5:00 pm and on Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Give our SNAP Hotline team a call at 215-430-0556.

SNAP Updates

Replacement Benefits Needed Due to Hurricane Ida - USDA approved Pennsylvania's waiver request to extend the time period for SNAP participants in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and York counties to request replacement benefits if they lost food due to the flooding, power outages, or other destruction caused by Hurricane Ida. They now have until Oct. 1. Please see this CLS flyer, which includes the necessary affidavit on the back.

SNAP Changes Beginning October 1:

1. The interview waiver is going away. All of those applying for SNAP will have to complete an interview by phone or at the County Assistance Office (CAO), before getting benefits. This includes those eligible for expedited SNAP (often called “emergency SNAP”). Note, CAO staff “cold call” applicants to complete the interview when the office receives the application. Please let applicants know to look out for a call, and pick up if caller ID says “COPA” (for Commonwealth of PA).
2. The waiver allowing Pennsylvania to continue SNAP benefits, even if clients had not returned their 6-month paperwork (called semi-annual reports or SARs), is expiring. SNAP participants have to submit SARs again. This can be done through their online MyCOMPASS account, the MyCOMPASS mobile app, or our Coalition Against Hunger Hotline staff can be reached at 215-430-0556 to help (they can complete the SAR online so long as the deadline has not passed).
3. Benefits Increasing - While interviews and paperwork are returning, we also want to remind you of a very positive SNAP development. Due to the important update to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) this past summer, SNAP benefits are increasing. You can see the details on our TFP Flyer, which we now also have available in Spanish. Please share widely!
4. Income Guidelines Changing - For anyone applying for or receiving SNAP, the income eligibility limits to qualify for benefits will increase slightly. You can find the new income limits in English and Spanish on our flyer. Remember, if you think you qualify for benefits, the Coalition Against Hunger’s SNAP Hotline can help!

And finally, as people apply for new benefits and manage existing benefits, please remember that County Assistance Offices (CAOs) are open. In mid-July, CAOs reopened to serve clients in-person after being closed for over 15 months due to COVID-19. While this means you can now apply for your benefits and drop off paperwork in person, there are still options for applying and managing your benefits from home. See this flyer in English and Spanish to find a CAO near you, learn how to apply from home, and get tips for managing existing benefits.

Policy and Advocacy

Negotiations are in full force on Capitol Hill as Congress has been considering President Biden’s Build Back Better Plan (BBB) and working to finalize economic recovery legislation. On September 10, the House Committee on Education and Labor voted to advance its portion of the BBB Act, including nearly $35 billion for proven child nutrition programs. You can see Food Research and Action Center’s (FRAC) short summary here, and this Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) paper explains how these investments would substantially reduce childhood hunger.

We need you to take action to make sure these critical supports for children remain in the final bill – and that the bill passes!

• Individuals - Urge your member of Congress to support child nutrition by sending a pre-written email here.
• Organizations - Join FRAC’s BBB Nutrition Investments sign on letter here (deadline is Monday, 9/27).

Stay tuned. We will be asking you to take further action as this crucial legislation moves forward.

At the state level, we have an opportunity for you to support improvement to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). As difficulties continue at the Pennsylvania Bureau of WIC (see coverage by the Philadelphia Inquirer), there is clear agreement among WIC agencies, participants, and advocates that the eWIC card must change.

• We’re asking both individuals and organizations to sign onto this letter urging PA Dept. of Health Acting Secretary Beam to prioritize switching the offline eWIC card to an online system. This single change would do a lot to lessen barriers and improve program participation. Deadline for signing on is Thursday, Oct. 7, so please share this advocacy opportunity with others.

Food Pantry & Soup Kitchens

Food pantry and soup kitchen leaders: Join the Coalition Against Hunger on Thursday, October 21st from 10:30am-12noon for the next Victory in Partnership (VIP) meeting on Zoom. Learn about the latest critical changes to the SNAP Program from the Coalition’s own Policy Director, Kathy Fisher, and Community Educator, Katie Milholin, so you can share with your program participants. Contact Tanya at [email protected] to reserve your space today!

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) Harvest Initiative: We are a proud partner of the PHS Harvest Initiative. This program is an effort to fight food insecurity in the Greater Philadelphia region by providing the education and resources needed for our neighbors to grow and share their own harvests. We encourage the food pantries and soup kitchens we work with to sign-up to receive these healthy food donations from participating growers. 

So far this year, the program’s produce donations have topped 13,000 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruits. You can check out their dashboard here, as the food donations continue to grow. With roughly six weeks until the first frost, there is still time to share and track your harvest here. If you lead a food pantry or soup kitchen and are in need of extra produce, you can register here.

Community Virtual Sharing Sessions

For the past year, the Coalition Against Hunger has been a community partner agency on the Philadelphia Department of Health's Task Force on Community Resources and Referral System. The task force wants to hear from anyone who has ever been told to "call this number" or "visit this website" for resources about their experiences. Help us spread the word about the upcoming virtual community sharing sessions taking place in September. 

Please share with your clients, neighbors, community members or anyone who has had experience with community resource referrals and systems and might be interested in participating in a sharing session. They can sign up for a session directly from the links provided on this flyer.