Hunger-Free Pennsylvania

08/21/2026

"Bloated." "Breeds dependency."

That’s the rhetoric surrounding proposed SNAP cuts—but it completely ignores the economic reality facing everyday Pennsylvanians.

ℹ️ Here’s what the evidence actually shows:
• 74% of PA SNAP households have at least one working adult.
• Food costs 📈 23.5% from 2020 to 2023.
• A full-time job is no longer a guaranteed defense against hunger.

🗣️ Leaders from the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council and Just Harvest are speaking out: SNAP participants aren't a monolith, and flattening them into a stereotype does real damage to working families trying to put food on the table.

We need policies backed by evidence, not rhetoric.

🔗 Click the link to learn more about how SNAP supports our local communities: https://www.publicsource.org/snap-restrictions-hurt-allegheny-county-households/

Some 19,000 SNAP participants in Allegheny County dropped out of the program in the last year, even as families struggle to make ends meet.

08/17/2026

This week, we're joining the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) for the SNAP Week of Action! Using our voices to raise awareness about why investing in SNAP matters — it helps millions afford nutritious food, reduces food insecurity for children and seniors, and supports local economies and health outcomes. 🍏🍞

Check out the messaging going out this week on their landing page and consider sharing or amplifying their suggested posts: https://frac.org/snap-week-of-action

08/14/2026

City of Allentown's Mayor Matt Tuerk is one of more than 200 mayors who have signed onto a letter to the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, requesting that Congress reverse or delay SNAP cuts. The bipartisan group of mayors wants the committee to insert SNAP funding and other changes to the Farm Bill currently under consideration. 🗞️ Read more about Mayor Tuerk's story via Governing.

Matt Tuerk, the mayor of Allentown, is one of 200 mayors across the country asking the Senate to reverse or delay federal food assistance cuts via this year's Farm Bill. He spoke with Governing about the effects of the cuts on residents.

08/06/2026

🧡 🦌 Our friends at Hunters Sharing the Harvest have done it again!

Did you know Pennsylvania is the nation’s leading venison donation state? During the 2025-26 hunting seasons, hunters donated 294,844 pounds of venison from 8,382 deer harvested. Congrats and THANK YOU, HSH!!!

Greenville, Pa. – July 30, 2026 – Pennsylvania hunters have once again demonstrated their unmatched generosity by setting another record for venison donations through Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH). During the 2025-26 hunting seasons, hunters donated 294,844 pounds of venison from 8,382 deer ...

07/24/2026

Deadline Reminder: 🎟️ Purchase tickets before Aug. 25th!

The Pittsburgh Pirates host the SF⚾️Giants Sept. 1st game to benefit Hunger-Free PA!

🧡 A portion of EVERY ticket sold will help us strike out hunger! Tickets also include $5 for concessions or team store purchases.

📅Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 6:40 PM ET
📍PNC Park

https://www.hungerfreepa.org/

07/23/2026

The 210 mayors are asking Congress to delay implementation of new requirements that some experts expect could cost states more than $9 billion.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said philanthropic groups don’t have the resources to serve as the national safety net, and city and states are already facing tight budgets that cannot fill the void left from federal cuts.

Seven Pennsylvania mayors signed onto the letter:
Matt Tuerk of Allentown
Stefan Roots of Chester
Erica Deuso of Downington
Daria Devlin of Erie
Jaime Arroyo of Lancaster
Mayor of Philadelphia, PA
Paige Cognetti of Scranton

Read more from the Pennsylvania Capital-Star:

More than 200 American mayors are calling on the federal government to reverse changes that will cost states billions and push millions of people off the food stamp program. This week, the United States Conference of Mayors asked the U.S. Senate’s agriculture committee to reconsider the deep cuts ...

07/17/2026

A Pennsylvania Department of Human Services spokesperson indicated, “SNAP benefits are entirely federally funded and total approximately $365 million each month for Pennsylvania, but HR1 created new pressures and rules that are jeopardizing and destabilizing this vital program, leaving vulnerable people without food. Cuts to federal SNAP funding will shift these costs onto states – costs that we have made clear we cannot backfill.”

Pennsylvania Taxpayers Could Be on the Hook for Hundreds of Millions of Dollars to Fund SNAP Benefits to Help Pay for Trump’s Tax Cuts for the Wealthy - Read more from the Bucks County Beacon:

According to rule changes from President Trump and Republicans' “big beautiful bill”, each state’s SNAP “error rate” will bring severe financial consequences.

07/09/2026

🚨 Pennsylvania’s charitable food network and human service safety-net organizations are once again facing uncertainty as the remains unresolved beyond the June 30 deadline. Last year’s prolonged budget impasse forced nonprofits, schools, counties, and community organizations to make difficult decisions, borrow funds, and delay critical services. Many fear a repeat.

🏛️ While budget negotiations continue in Harrisburg, the people who depend on these services can't afford to wait. Delayed state funding creates real challenges—making it harder to plan, meet growing community needs, and provide reliable support for families facing food insecurity and hardship.

🗣️ We urge state leaders to reach an agreement and pass a budget that provides stability for community organizations, safety-net providers, and charitable food networks that work every day to support Pennsylvanians.

📰 The Center Square

(The Center Square) - It's been a week since the deadline for a state budget passed, and public libraries, schools, and r**e crisis centers are bracing for the possibility of

07/08/2026

📉 Even though Pennsylvania has brought down its SNAP error rates over the past year, the mistakes the commonwealth did report could still put Pa. on the hook for more than $400 million in additional annual program costs.

With SNAP funding on uncertain ground, states are facing growing accountability pressures. For SNAP recipients, these recent changes “created new pressures and rules that jeopardize SNAP funding and has destabilized this program, leaving vulnerable people without food,” a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services said in a statement to USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania. Read more:

New numbers show how much federal SNAP changes could cost Pennsylvania, and how the state is responding.

06/26/2026

SAVE THE DATE!

⚾️ 🧡 Giants @ Pirates Game to Benefit Hunger-Free PA

A portion of EVERY ticket sold will help us strike out hunger! Tickets also include $5 for concessions or team store purchases.

📅Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 6:40 PM ET
📍PNC Park

🎟️ Purchase tickets before the Aug. 25 deadline at the designated link: https://buff.ly/I9lKVKF