State officials discuss anti-hunger programs
Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf discusses anti-hunger programs available in the state during a remote news conference Wednesday.
During a virtual news conference Wednesday, Pennsylvania Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller discusses the various programs available to residents as the need for food assistance grows due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Pennsylvania’s first lady and two Cabinet secretaries said Wednesday that citizens shouldn’t feel shame about seeking help for their financial difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While the need for these programs continues to grow during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said First Lady Frances Wolf, “it is crucial that we encourage our fellow Pennsylvanians to use these benefits available to them. Benefits they invested in. Benefits that will keep them nourished and their families whole. We must refrain from shaming them for needing help.”
During the remote press conference, Wolf, Secretary of Human Services Teresa Miller and Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding pointed to various programs meant to address the growing need for assistance with food in the state. More than 1.7 million people – over a quarter of the statewide work force – filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March, when stay-home orders and business closures took effect.
Programs that speakers discussed include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC; the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, for which those older than 60 who meet income requirements are eligible for vouchers between June 1 and Nov. 30 every year; the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program, a voucher program for WIC recipients that runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 each year; and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, available to those 60 and older whose income falls below a certain level.
More information on programs that are available can be found online at agriculture.pa.gov/foodsecurity.
“These programs are needed for many in the best of times, and they are critical in the worst,” Miller said. “We cannot forget this when this moment passes, and I urge anyone who knows someone who is struggling to make ends meet or needs assistance themselves to remember that help is always available.”