Help hungry families afford the food they need

We never imagined that COVID 19 would continue to wage war on our health and our economy throughout the past year resulting in more individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.  Lay-offs at work, unexpected expenses, illness, and the rising cost of food forced individuals and families to make impossible choices between buying food or paying rent and utilities. Household members may skip meals or parents may stop eating so that their children can eat the limited food they have available. Virtual learning due to school closings meant that meals that children and families depended on were no longer accessible.  And while Relief efforts such as a temporary 15% increase in SNAP (Food Stamps) and Pandemic EBT (PEBT) provided urgent and essential support, the implementation of these programs was at times challenging and incredibly frustrating for individuals and families who desperately needed these added benefits.

One of your neighbors, a friend, or a family member may be struggling to put food on their table. And the long term impact of the pandemic on those experiencing food insecurity will not quickly nor easily go away.  

HUNGER FACTS

• A household experiencing food insecurity has limited or uncertain access to food to support a healthy life.

• Food insecurity rose “significantly” for households with children and those living in Black and Latino households.

• Currently, there are more than 1.3 million people facing hunger in Pennsylvania, close to 384,000, or 1 in 7 are children. People facing hunger in Pennsylvania are estimated to report needing $733,806,000 more per year to meet their food needs. 

Source: USDA, Household Food Security in the United States in 2020, Sept 2021

Source: Hunger-Free America, What Hunger Looks Like in Pennsylvania, 2020

The Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger has been an anti-hunger leader for over two decades, building a regional movement to end hunger in southeast Pennsylvania, with the vast majority of our direct service work in Philadelphia. Our mission is to build a community where all people have the food they need to lead healthy lives. The Coalition takes a holistic approach by addressing immediate food needs, providing short term relief, and addressing long term solutions to food insecurity.

Links:

• Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger website