April 23, 2021
Following the settlement in the Gilliam vs. USDA case, SNAP recipients will now start receiving additional aid in the form of “emergency allotments.” Read more about the settlement here. Anyone who receives SNAP benefits, even the maximum amount, will receive these emergency allotments. People will not receive notifications, so spreading the word throughout advocacy networks...
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April 20, 2021
Just as congregations innovated with worship, learning and service in response to COVID, Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod’s Green Team is encouraging innovation in creation care as we emerge transformed from the pandemic. The Good Hope/Zion Lutheran congregations of Oil City are leading by example. A Thrivent Action Team grant allowed them to try eco-friendly green ware...
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April 1, 2021
Settlement in a case between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and food stamp recipients in Pennsylvania regarding COVID relief will mean $712 million in back payments of additional nutrition benefits for more than 650,000 of the lowest-income Pennsylvania households. Community Legal Services won an injunction in September on the behalf of Latoya Gilliam and Kayle...
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March 9, 2021
Luke 8: 15 : 15 But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance. The health of the soil is a central theme in the Gospel, especially reflected in Jesus’s parables. These land-oriented passages convey their...
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March 2, 2021
On February 26th Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced the opening of the 2020-21 PA Farm Bill’s $500,000 Urban Agriculture Grant Program to address food deserts in urban areas through the expansion of agricultural infrastructure. The program has the added intention of creating opportunities for hands-on learning and community building through the shared...
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February 26, 2021
In February 2021 the USDA shared important updates regarding student eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), due to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This act temporarily expands SNAP eligibility to students in higher education enrolled at least part time. The new requirements now extend eligibility to students who: “are eligible to participate in state or federally financed work study...
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February 26, 2021
The Pa. Department of Human Services (DHS) is planning a series of webinars to introduce the Resource Information and Services Enterprise – or RISE PA – an upcoming statewide resource and referral tool that will enable advocates and individuals in need to more quickly identify appropriate service providers, including social ministry organizations and congregational-based services. Department...
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February 8, 2021
Gov. Wolf continued to place education at the forefront of his agenda with a his 2021 budget proposal in an effort to close the gaps in one of the least equitable school funding systems in the country, increase affordability of college education and job training. The budget, outlined in an address on Feb. 3, would...
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January 22, 2021
Posted on January 22, 2021 by ELCA Advocacy “With the start of the 117th Congress and a new administration, and as the devastating COVID-19 pandemic influences our lives and shapes our concerns, we face pressing need for national policy action. Yet even with changes, as Christians in the world our engagement is consistently shaped by...
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January 20, 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on across Pennsylvania and the nation, an increasing number of senior citizens in the commonwealth are struggling to secure the food they need. Sheila Christopher, of Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, is working to ensure that all seniors have access to food programs so that their needs are met. The organization is looking to expand...
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