WHAT IS THE FARM BILL? The Farm Bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation that governs most federal food and farming programs. It impacts access to nutritious food for the over 44 million of people in the United States facing hunger. The Farm Bill must be reauthorized by Congress nearly every
Effective advocacy is a time-tested method to empower nonprofits like Philabundance to help shape the public debate on significant social issues and ensure that our underserved communities have a voice in the policies that impact their lives. It is a powerful and vital tool in our effort to end hunger for good.
Late this spring, the White House announced plans for a Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The conference date has been announced! The Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health will be held on Wednesday, September 28th and will be live-streamed. The last conference of this kind was over 50 years
As summer begins, we are entering a challenging new phase for school and summer meal providers – and for the children and families who rely on them. While Pennsylvania has provided some flexibility to nutrition programs to better function through several USDA waivers, two waivers will expire unless Congress acts.
Rising costs force brutal compromises when a household budget has no wiggle room. For example, paying increased rent to keep a roof overhead often means buying less food. This past year, prices on many items climbed 7%—the largest increase since 1982. Food, cars, gas, and housing all cost significantly
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s first line of defense against hunger and a critical resource for the people Philabundance serves. While food banks like Philabundance do incredible work to feed people, strong nutrition programs like SNAP are crucial to meet the need. However, the SNAP allotment
Today is National Voter Registration Day. Food banks like Philabundance are on the frontlines to ensure no one goes hungry, but we cannot do this work alone. Strong government policies and programs are needed to alleviate hunger today and end hunger for good. Elected officials make decisions that impact hunger
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their Food Insecurity Report highlighting U.S. household food insecurity rates in 2020. This report sheds light on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on nationwide food insecurity last year. Food insecurity refers to a household’s inability to afford enough nutritious
According to Feeding America, more than 50 million people, including 17 million children, faced food insecurity in 2020 due to COVID-19. That is 6 million more children since prior to the pandemic. In the Philabundance service area, childhood hunger ranges from 32.8 percent in Philadelphia County to 14.7 percent in
On March 11, Philabundance CEO Loree Jones participated in a roundtable discussion on COVID-19’s impact on communities of color, co-hosted by the PA House Democratic Policy Committee and PA Legislative Black Caucus. The virtual event, which took place exactly a year after the World Health Organization declared the virus
Due to COVID-19, Philabundance has seen more families than ever struggling to make ends meet and put food on their table. Our agency network has seen up to a 60% increase in people lining up for food. This election day, you have the power to help feed America. Your vote
We at Philabundance were honored and thrilled to have three members of the Governor’s Administration visit us and see our work first hand. At our Galloway warehouse the Pennsylvania Secretary of Human Services, Teresa Miller, and the Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Russell Redding, spent the morning
Sarah F. Geiger has been with Philabundance for nearly nine years. In her role as Director of Agency Relations, she and her team work with 350 member agencies in our community to use your donations to get food into the hands of those in need. The onset of the
During this crisis, Philabundance is working hard to distribute more food to people who need it. We are supporting additional distributions sites with the City of Philadelphia and working to push more food out to our agency network. Despite our best efforts, we still know that federal nutrition programs are
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a critical program that keeps people fed. Food is expensive and when someone is having trouble finding work or their hours are not enough, SNAP is there to help them stay healthy. We know that the majority of people who receive SNAP who
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued yet another proposed rule that would cut SNAP benefits for millions who rely on the program. If this rule goes into effect 7 million people would see their SNAP benefits cut. This cut will only increase hunger in our communities.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is an important program that so many working families, kids, seniors and people with disabilities rely upon. It also allows kids whose families receive SNAP to also be eligible for school meals. Linking these two programs ensures families and kids have access to the
By Kate Scully, Director of Government Affairs Update 2/14/18: Today the House and Senate passed a bill to fund the government and the President is expected to sign it. This compromise has adverted another government shutdown right before the February 15th deadline. The signing of this bill will
By Kate Scully, Director of Government Affairs Over the last year I know that we have come to you many times to talk about the Farm Bill. We have been working hard to protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) which is included in the
By Kate Scully, Director of Government Affairs You are a busy parent or individual and your wallet is stolen. The amount of time needed to get a new ID, credit card, and other cards and documents is daunting. Your credit card company then charges you $100 to replace that credit card.
By Kate Scully, Director of Government Affairs Approximately 40% of all food produced in the U.S. goes to waste. This while 1 in 5 people in Philadelphia, and 1 in 7 nationally, are experiencing hunger. Hunger is an issue about individual and family resources, about the money they have
By Martha Sherman, Advocacy Intern As you may know, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly known as food stamps, provides healthy food to millions of Americans each month. It is our nation’s first defense against hunger, and helps many working families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities put
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: US House of Representatives Passes Dangerous Farm Bill That Would Leave Millions of Americans Hungry Jun 22, 2018 – Philabundance is extremely disheartened that the U.S. House of Representatives passed the House Farm Bill yesterday. This Farm Bill included dangerous work requirements and strict time
By Emma Kornetsky, Government Affairs Manager We told you before why we care about the Farm Bill – because of its impact on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) and thus on food insecurity in our communities. SNAP provides 12 times more meals
By Martha Sherman, Advocacy Intern By now, you’ve likely heard a lot about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and know that for every meal a Feeding America food bank provides, SNAP provides 12 meals. SNAP keeps millions of Americans out of poverty every year, but it has
By Martha Sherman, Advocacy Intern It’s no surprise to hear that people perform better when they’re not hungry – if you’ve ever skipped lunch at work, you certainly understand. For many of us, it’s a quick fix — just grab a snack and go about our day. But
By Emma Kornetsky, Government Affairs Manager Graphics by Feeding America Header Photography: by Anthony Albright via Flickr/CC BY Eighty percent of the Farm Bill’s funding goes toward nutrition, with the biggest program being the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP (formerly known as food stamps). SNAP is our nation’s first
The following is a joint statement from the Coalition Against Hunger, Philabundance and Share Food Program on President Trump’s budget released on February 12, 2018: The President’s FY2019 budget proposal reveals his priorities. And his priorities would devastate our nation’s most efficient and effective response to hunger –
by Alfred Lubrano, Staff Writer @AlfredLubrano | alubrano@phillynews.com Read the original story here. Some nights, Melanie Hudson lies in bed and prays for sleep to overtake her before the belly pain and headache from not eating enough become so overwhelming that they keep her awake till the morning alarm. “I’m living my