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Final Statistics
30 Counties Served
Approximately 42,914 Families Served
Over 128,700 pounds of Apples Distributed
Electronic Report from the Economic Research Service
The Role of the Commodity
Supplemental Food Program
(CSFP) in Nutritional
Assistance to Mothers,
Infants, Children, and Seniors
New Food Assistance
Eligibility Rules
Westmoreland County Food Bank to ask lawmakers for more money
By Mary Pickels
Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, April 20, 2009
www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_621408.html
Westmoreland County Food Bank hopes a letter-writing campaign will convince elected officials to dish out more funding to state anti-hunger programs. A similar effort last year yielded approximately 500 letters.
"This year, we received almost 4,000," said Jennifer Miller, food bank development director. That number represents nearly 70 percent of the 6,000 families the food bank typically serves each month.
The food bank is conducting the campaign along with its state association, the Pennsylvania Association of Regional Food Banks, and the PA Hunger Action Center. Consumers at the food bank's 50 pantries and 34 on-site feeding programs were provided with template letters. Food bank staff and board members signed the letters. Sheila Christopher, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Regional Food Banks, said 18 state food banks, and hundreds of their cupboards and pantries, joined in the letter-writing campaign...
Gov't money feeds shelters
Funding going toward food pantries and assistance agencies
By William Kibler, bkibler@altoonamirror.com
POSTED: April 22, 2009
http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/518349.html?nav=742
Fact Box
A closer look
The federal stimulus will provide local counties with supplemental grants for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Food and Shelter Grant program: Blair County will get $38,000, Cambria $47,000, Centre $34,000, Clearfield $30,000, Bedford $19,000 and Huntingdon $17,000.
Local counties will receive a total of $185,000 in federal stimulus money for the Emergency Food and Shelter Grant Program to supplement their regular allocations.
The money mostly will go to food pantries, shelters and agencies that provide rent, mortgage and utility assistance to counter problems aggravated by the failing economy.
"This is welcomed," said Alan Smith, chairman of the Bedford County board that distributes the funding there. "There's an overwhelming, growing demand."
The Blair allocation will supplement a base of $80,000 for this fiscal year.
"The need is there," said Jean Johnstone, director of the regional diocese's Catholic Charities.
Her organization provided a "safety net" last year for 27 homeless families for whom government money was lacking, and homeless families have been coming to her for last-ditch help at a higher rate since January.
Unfortunately, the county's shelters - one for families, one for teens, one for men and a religious shelter - are usually full, although the one for domestic abuse victims doesn't turn anyone away, she said.
That means Catholic Charities often pays for hotels until permanent subsidized housing becomes available, wasting money and not providing the best recovery situation for families, she said.
The Bedford County allocation will supplement a $38,000 base, doubling last year's total...
A new poll says one in seven young children in Pennsylvania are hungry. The report which used data collected by the United States Department of Agriculture, was done by Feeding America. That group is the county's largest hunger-relief charity. The study also revealed that 16 percent of children under the age of five do not have access to enough nutritious food. The Greater Berks Food Bank is surprised with the poll's results. Peg Bianca: 439,000 children living in Pennsylvania living in hunger in the year 2009. That's just not right.
Every weeknight the food bank provides meals for 1300 children.
Food Bank Shocked By Feeding America Poll
PARF Delivers Letters to Pennsylvania General Assembly
