PA Dept. of Ag. Announces $1.6 M for Emergency Food Assistance Grants
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today invited qualified food banks, pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens that offer emergency food assistance to apply for $1.6 million in The Emergency Food Assistance (TEFAP) Reach and Resiliency Grants. The grants aim to expand access to emergency food assistance in isolated or underserved rural or
Food Programs Expand Eligibility — Some May Need to Reapply
LAMPa applauds recent actions taken by the Wolf Administration to expand eligibility for hunger-fighting programs in Pennsylvania and advises feeding ministries and advocates to encourage people who may once have been ineligible to re-apply for programs now. In late September, Gov. Tom Wolf marked Hunger Action Month by announcing updates
Housing, Education and Creation Care Get Boost in State Budget
The 2022-23 Pennsylvania budget includes significant gains for education, housing and creation care, but only a modest increase for anti-hunger programs. A $1.8 billion increase in education funding makes strides toward decreasing the funding gap in what has been one of the least equitable school funding systems in the country.
LSS Hunger Ministry Lifts Needs of Seniors, Pennsylvanians with Disabilities
The Rev. Angela Hammer of St. Paul, Penryn, shared the experiences of her congregation's feeding ministry in a state Capitol press conference in support of proposed increases to minimum nutrition assistance benefits for seniors and Pennsylvanians with disabilities. Hunger leaders in all seven Pennsylvania synods have reported increasing need in
PA Raises Income Cap for Food Assistance Programs
More Pennsylvanians struggling to put nutritious food on the table will be eligible to receive food assistance thanks to a newly amended rule that raises the income cap for the State Food Purchase Program (SFPP). The state Department of Agriculture amended the code to raise the SFPP income threshold to
Climate Panel Report “Dire Warning” with Narrow Window for Action
Climate change is causing widespread and dangerous threats to nature and billions of people around the planet, but especially those least able to cope, according to a report released this week by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which warns that humankind has a narrowing window for action. “This
New Report Shows Impact of School Nutrition Waivers, Calls for Extension
Student participation in school breakfast and lunch dropped dramatically across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, and child hunger would have spiked even more dramatically without waivers that allowed schools and community organizations to creatively adapt to keep feeding programs going, according to a new report by the Food Research &
Rogation Stories: Church & Community Gardens
In late April this year LAMPa joined with United Lutheran Seminary in the celebration of rogation. ULS’s spring convocation around the theme “The Theology of Gathering” helped Lutherans across Pennsylvania think about the ways in which we are connected, even as we distanced ourselves due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In recognizing this theme, and seeking to honor creation
Funding for Hunger, Education Equity Make Gains in State Budget
As the General Assembly passed an on-time budget before recessing in late June, LAMPa celebrated a 15 percent increase in the state’s major anti-hunger programs and an extra $300 million in basic education funding, $100 million of which is targeted to the poorest schools. “Our hunger advocates did a tremendous
Pennsylvania Leading the Nation in Student Homelessness Increase
A newly released report shows that homelessness among children and youth is increasing dramatically in Pennsylvania while rising unevenly in other states during the 2018-19 school year (SY). PEC reviewed the report from the National Center for Homeless Education called Federal Data Summary School Years 2017 - 2019, and summarized
