By Ted Bordelon
Wire Managing Editor
Bucks and Montgomery counties are consistently ranked two of the wealthiest in the state, but that doesn’t mean the Philadelphia suburbs are without their share of needy people.
In fact, Bucks is home to nearly 40,000 participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), while 52,118 residents in Montco use federal nutrition assistance.
When the so-called Great Recession began a few years ago, SNAP was boosted by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which was meant to ease the impact that the bad economy would have on low-income families.
While the effects of the recession are still being felt, the increase to SNAP benefits under the ARRA was reduced last month after the provision that enabled the benefits expired.
“I think there’s more to be seen, but in general, volume is increasing and it has been regardless of if SNAP has been reduced or not,” Briana McGonagle, Food Program Manager at Bucks County Opportunity Council (BCOC), said, referring to an increased number of Bucks County residents who are turning to food pantries for sustenance. “That’s why the SNAP cut is so detrimental. You’re going to see numbers rise even more.”
The BCOC manages a network of 31 pantries, and McGonagle said that over the past three years they have seen a 19-percent increase in demand, mainly due to “the economy not turning around.”
“We’re reaching out to the community more than ever,” McGonagle said. “Our community has done great things to make sure that all of our residents are well taken care of, but hunger still exists.”
According to a study from the PA Budget and Policy Center, SNAP benefits will be cut by $3.8 million in Bucks County and $5.2 million in Montgomery County.
Those numbers add up to increased hardships for area residents whose budgets are already stretched thin.
“I can tell you that almost everybody has talked about the reduction of their food stamps,” Kathy Coxwell, co-president of the Coordinating Council of Health and Welfare, said.
The Coordinating Council of Health and Welfare’s food pantry in Warminster serves Warminster, Willow Grove, Warrington, Southampton, Hatboro and Horsham.
Coxwell said that many of her clients are senior citizens, but more families have come to the pantry since the economy took a turn for the worse. She said that the SNAP benefit reductions will only further “increase the demographics and the people we service.”
“I have seen an increase already,” Coxwell added.
Michael Green, a co-administrator at the food pantry at Jesus Focus Ministry on Bristol Road in Southampton, echoed Coxwell. He said that the pantry has seen an increase in demand since last year, and a greater increase since last month.
The Bucks County Housing Group (BCHG), which serves about 2,200 families and manages three food pantries, has seen an uptick in clients.
Melissa Mantz, a development officer with BCHG, said that the steady increases have been caused by the slow economic recovery, which led to further struggles, particularly for parents who work in the service or retail industries, and for those who couldn’t find work.
“We are going to track the effect of the SNAP reductions very closely because the other concern is that when long-term unemployment ends in February, some people will be even worse off than now,” Mantz said.
Jessie Marushak, director of development at the BCOC, said that the economy and the reductions in SNAP benefits have caused her organization to “get creative.”
“What we’re trying to do is serve more people with less resources,” Marushak said. “We’re always just asking the community to remember their neighbors.”
