[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6292545,"mediaKeyId","2526121-441f18a3aa23a0576b9df56a2313c970","parentId",2526121,"title","DHS details SNAP reach, summer EBT rollout and warns federal cuts would deepen need","audioSeconds",460,"startMs",639000,"endMs",1099000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2526121-441f18a3aa23a0576b9df56a2313c970&start=639&end=1099","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2526121-441f18a3aa23a0576b9df56a2313c970/thumbnail_639000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6292545/Pennsylvania/DHS-details-SNAP-reach-summer-EBT-rollout-and-warns-federal-cuts-would-deepen-need","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292545-b63e4307cb7d273eb2e77651ab3370ab/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097014&Signature=d4-d57CDBTc9~pby-HVjCpekKN-HxIn8eQNbPJWECJ5UYpFnhFRO~~8nfoxkhO0Yv30UjO5HBEJY0-lpjEThgAQIy-afL6BfAMdJW7qPWlqZ4nyFCbTNLXWCTXQ6OSQF8vR45KSFDCJZKl9sdtTLetJhCILugj0enNhwRNR~jBbfvNdckG9g4wKJuEt7sn4Vkbs-6udJPM7qTT~ZgkAJP20ocLwk6hMrQrSGHzVXslMZgh7cyb0sEieU-SQj0ANIHZVmTrZQfXwzBhoQbpXbRkAE1PYb-o-cBlig3UyvWC566sLFHNfjMp5PK9VR1S845upOHcKvVqZpu2evUrLAQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-07T06:50:06Z","article","Deputy Secretary Wafam of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) told the House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee that SNAP remains the commonwealth's largest anti-hunger tool and that Pennsylvania opted into the USDA's permanent Summer EBT program in 2024.

Wafam said Summer EBT (branded in testimony as \"Sunbucks\") provided more than 1,200,000 children with a $120.20 benefit in 2024 and that the benefit is 100% federally funded under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. She said DHS plans system upgrades for 2025 to streamline automatic enrollment and application processes.

The deputy secretary described the scale of SNAP in Pennsylvania: the program serves about 2,100,000 people, including roughly 710,000 children, 690,000 older Pennsylvanians and 12,000 adults with disabilities. DHS staff said SNAP delivers about $360,000,000 in federal benefits each month in Pennsylvania and that SNAP households account for roughly 15.46% of the state's population. DHS reported there are about 10,000 participating retailers statewide and that the average SNAP household benefit is about $347 per month while the minimum benefit in 2025 is $23.

Wafam emphasized that SNAP does more than provide food; she said USDA economic research shows every $1 in SNAP benefits generates about $1.54 in economic activity. DHS contracts with local outreach partners to assist SNAP enrollment and currently supports seven outreach partners covering 50 counties, with state, private and matching federal funds budgeted for those efforts.

DHS warned the committee that proposals at the federal level to cut or limit SNAP would create needs the charitable food system could not fully absorb. \"Any attempt to limit that reach or impact of SNAP to households we serve will create needs that cannot be addressed by our charitable food network, our hospitals, and schools alone,\" Wafam said. She urged continued engagement from the General Assembly to tell the program's fiscal and human story.

The department submitted detailed tables and county-level SNAP dashboards for committee members and offered to provide the written testimony and data cited during the hearing.

Ending: DHS reiterated that Summer EBT and SNAP are federally funded programs that rely on state systems for delivery and outreach; the department asked lawmakers to consider the programs' economic as well as nutritional impact when assessing budget and policy changes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee -- March 6, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Deputy Secretary Wafam of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services told legislators the state's SNAP program serves roughly 2.1 million people and that the Summer EBT pilot (\"Sunbucks\") provided about 1.2 million children a $120.20 benefit in 2024.","taxTitle","Agriculture & Rural Affairs, House of Representatives, Legislative, Pennsylvania","taxId",21060,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6292530,"Food Policy Council and Department of Environmental Protection outline statewide data, grant gaps and incentive programs",544,1856000,2400000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2526121-441f18a3aa23a0576b9df56a2313c970&start=1856&end=2400","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2526121-441f18a3aa23a0576b9df56a2313c970/thumbnail_1856000.jpg","/articles/6292530/Pennsylvania/Food-Policy-Council-and-Department-of-Environmental-Protection-outline-statewide-data-grant-gaps-and-incentive-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292530-a0fac3bf887f0b100d9baea01477539e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097013&Signature=EhB2P3920bq85dhwh8MpVx8B502esL9lyzIsOWoDYYrntde0eKMyG-Cg72D2Syz4Qs1gkzhBOPFcL7CMju8NBpaOBc9rnqn7dbzAcQ1kuXPCkunZuNKA9RuKw~S2KcMpNPLevqfSBdsJsGzgh9BQxYW21Zix-OAsKLOgg5B6ZEzSdUGhUp8f0eYAhaFcJGD714UOio-qiW6YdH1pmZbE0KDXeo6HL8EnYRFqWKDdjLZDjw7yGoVsJBQ~SLI7KeO-wXW2x6y2W89SNCpVvnzOdE046NUjhsGFy1wGdV~OqU-0Pf8SWQbH9RDnJvMU8roSoTPbrn4nRV~eDN7QgJ4K2w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dawn Plummer, director of the Pennsylvania Food Policy Council, told the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee that the council convenes eight state agencies (Aging, Agriculture, Community and Economic Development, Education, Environmental Protection, Health, Human Services, and Labor & Industry) and a 16-member advisory committee to align policy on food security, nutrition and food‑waste reduction.

Plummer cited the Department of Environmental Protection's 2022 statewide food-waste assessment: about 17% of Pennsylvania's municipal waste stream is organic material and an estimated 72% of that organic waste is edible food. She said the Food Policy Council is conducting planning and mapping work — funded in part by an EPA grant — to locate where waste is generated, the distribution of recovery organizations, and where processing infrastructure such as composters or anaerobic digesters could be sited. Plummer said DEP's Food Infrastructure Recovery Grant Program has had several funding rounds since 2019 but the program's revenue source (the recycling fund) is not sustainable long term and those grants are dwindling.

Julia Koprack of the Food Trust described nutrition-incentive programs (commonly called \"food bucks\") that add dollars for fruits and vegetables for SNAP shoppers, citing pilots at farmers markets and the Reading Terminal Market. She noted that more than 20 states have publicly funded incentive programs and encouraged the committee to consider enabling legislation and state funding to expand Pennsylvania's programs. Koprack also highlighted the Fresh Food Financing Initiative for grocery investment and the Keystone Fresh Act as a tool to connect schools to local purchasing.

Ending: Witnesses asked lawmakers to support sustained funding for DEP's infrastructure grants, consider legislation or budget support for nutrition incentives and grocery financing, and to incorporate the Food Policy Council's forthcoming action plan into broader state planning.","Pennsylvania's Food Policy Council and DEP described baseline food-waste data and a convening role for eight agencies; witnesses urged statewide coordination, sustainable funding for DEP's Food Infrastructure Recovery grants, and state investment in nutrition‑incentive programs such as Food Bucks.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6292535,"Market-based rescue: MARC, PWPM, Philabundance and Sharing Access describe produce‑rescue operations and infrastructure needs",741,2379000,3120000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2526121-441f18a3aa23a0576b9df56a2313c970&start=2379&end=3120","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2526121-441f18a3aa23a0576b9df56a2313c970/thumbnail_2379000.jpg","/articles/6292535/Pennsylvania/Market-based-rescue-MARC-PWPM-Philabundance-and-Sharing-Access-describe-producerescue-operations-and-infrastructure-needs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292535-20c88406f5945eb5c4997c415b5412f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097013&Signature=Qe314rClDNtGUyEnXKWK3kyF1K6~f2Ag9Qbk~emn6ThRGB-GHmbh-TtXASl9ZNGifZwnIgJLl1qDbzTJPLeQtIPyJTdtylAw3Jv0w2ocdi8ifvnR1wMdE4YqmnuIXcyN0MO-l19yXt5IgkVRekm8PKh~kGmXazuWay7AfXxorrlxGvBP04ZbfG5YOU9XPIz1c~ZH4d0-RmKdOIK6KpYkSh8yiPpnn~hUSuOHLloFaWp4~KBP6mCQQ72rt9MqMWnHHrmdLNmAfePPElqifVRy5pEZ3QBcLK7o8o-Cbzjk9pJQlXWRzIpYNX7LC5aDgjsKTI7qks~RiCVcdlknhxZPfg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mark (representing the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market) and leaders from the Mid Atlantic Regional Cooperative (MARC), Philabundance and Sharing Access told the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee that the produce terminal and associated rescue programs are a major source of fresh donations to the charitable food network.

Mark said the market and its partners donate and redirect large volumes of produce; he described partnerships and capital investments that helped the market become a large refrigerated terminal and said the facility and its partners donate and redirect millions of pounds each year. John Shortino, director of operations for MARC, said the cooperative distributes over 1,000,000 pounds of fresh produce weekly to member food banks and the Feeding America network and that MARC sources more than 50 distinct items for partners.

Lauren Webb of Philabundance said her organization rescues about 75,000 pounds of food per day — roughly two tractor-trailers daily — and has distributed more than 112,900,000 pounds of rescued food between fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2024. Evan Ehlers of Sharing Access described a terminal-based rescue pilot that has redistributed more than 25,000,000 pounds of produce from the PWPM in recent years and credited the NAP tax-credit program for incentivizing donations; he said the credit returns about 55% of the donated-food value to donors and makes the logistics viable.

Witnesses highlighted operating costs and logistics as constraints: rising labor, transportation and input costs affect prices and the ability to purchase surplus; refrigerated trucks, drivers and warehouse space are in demand; and local composting or biodigestion capacity is limited. Witnesses said some wasted or non-donateable food is sent to a biodigester in Trenton, N.J., and that on-site composting or local anaerobic digestion facilities in Pennsylvania could lower costs and increase local circularity.

Ending: Market and rescue operators asked legislators to consider incentives, grant support for cold‑chain and processing infrastructure, and continued funding for programs (including the NAP credit and the PAS program) that keep fresh food moving to people who need it.","Representatives from the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market (PWPM), the Mid Atlantic Regional Cooperative (MARC), Philabundance, and Sharing Access described a system that diverts large volumes of surplus fresh produce to food banks and called for continued support for cold‑chain logistics, tax incentives and local composting/biogas capacity.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6292540,"State officials, food banks back $8 million in proposed funding for PAS and State Food Purchase Program",214,1677000,1891000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2526121-441f18a3aa23a0576b9df56a2313c970&start=1677&end=1891","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2526121-441f18a3aa23a0576b9df56a2313c970/thumbnail_1677000.jpg","/articles/6292540/Pennsylvania/State-officials-food-banks-back-8-million-in-proposed-funding-for-PAS-and-State-Food-Purchase-Program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292540-ee7d4bd7d81b227243d37369447b8af2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097013&Signature=lwHsPG08vhYgZivcA-qdFstjpDXDbcGQTlnrQDp8nWjl4essZw02B1IGA7Huwb1ZGSNJ3FKWGgHsVMC5wAQR8M0cXQeLB5mpzXtMWyIs28XvsnU1RydeUuK7-eX4nh18JjJXKEiSUFaZdNvsuXi~sg~UoTMTSQwuvUNRcDeOy-vMx8oPbvOxHfmnuYOE8A2hzvwI1nl49e1bb-lmmPirL98DU8n3LL~EblHopqWH0D7dY~a2MfDJpTiOpYDs9w0VSHwpuMnypWw1ysAsqcHAk6tqF--UJY2Ej9GFis0dYOoO4fPBHptobeUD-Hfki6PiRTGzhvuGIik6f1W0qBzFNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Karen Long Earle, director of the Bureau of Food Assistance at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and Julie Bancroft, CEO of Feeding Pennsylvania, told the House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee that the state’s PAS and State Food Purchase Program help move surplus local food into the charitable food network.

Karen Long Earle said the PAS program, launched in 2015, has sourced more than 35,000,000 pounds of Pennsylvania-produced food for distribution to low-income residents. The Department of Agriculture contracts with Feeding Pennsylvania to help administer PAS and source products from Pennsylvania farmers.

Bancroft described Feeding Pennsylvania’s network of nine food banks that rescue and distribute more than 231,000,000 pounds of food annually. She and other witnesses praised Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal to add $4,000,000 to the State Food Purchase Program and $4,000,000 to the PAS program (an $8,000,000 total increase). Testimony said the funds would help food banks purchase local, nutritious foods and supply pantries and meal programs across all 67 counties.

Witnesses also provided prevalence data for hunger and charitable-food demand: the department cited an estimate that at least 1,500,000 Pennsylvanians were food insecure in 2022 and that Pennsylvania food banks were serving an average of approximately 570,000 individuals per week in 2024. Testimony linked these needs to the risk of proposed federal cuts to programs such as SNAP and to the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which relies on federal funding and affects distributions available to food banks.

Ending: Committee members were provided written testimony and data. Witnesses asked legislators to consider the proposed state investments as a complement and backstop to federal programs and to support the PAS and State Food Purchase Program funding increase in the upcoming budget cycle.","Department of Agriculture officials and Feeding Pennsylvania told the committee that the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PAS) and the State Food Purchase Program help reduce waste and feed low-income residents; Governor Shapiro's budget proposes a combined $8 million increase for the two programs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DHS details SNAP reach, summer EBT rollout and warns federal cuts would deepen need

Food Policy Council and Department of Environmental Protection outline statewide data, grant gaps and incentive programs

Market-based rescue: MARC, PWPM, Philabundance and Sharing Access describe produce‑rescue operations and infrastructure needs

State officials, food banks back $8 million in proposed funding for PAS and State Food Purchase Program