The Wolf Administration sent a letter to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, urging them to support the extension of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s nationwide waiver authority throughout the 2022-23 school year.
“Pennsylvania’s kids are relying on us to ensure their food security, and that’s why we need Congress to act now to allow USDA authority to extend school feeding waivers,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “The flexibilities these waivers provide assure consistent access to nutritious food, filling hungry bellies and relieving a stressor for Pennsylvania parents.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Congress has given the USDA the authority to issue nationwide waivers to ensure that school feeding programs could adapt to the needs of the communities they serve amid ever-changing learning environments and increased food assistance needs during the summer months.
According to Feeding Pennsylvania, more than 1.5 million people in Pennsylvania, including more than 443,000 children, are at risk of hunger.
The waivers issued by USDA can serve a multitude of purposes. Examples include allowing flexibility for both schools and nonprofits as to where meals can be accessed and the opportunity to offer meals to young siblings of school-aged children or a chance to provide continued access to afterschool meals and snacks, regardless of traditional school and activities being in session or not.
Waivers for the 2021-22 school year are set to expire on June 30, and USDA cannot provide waivers past this date without approval by Congress. This means that the summer meal options countless Pennsylvania families have relied on over the last two years will expire, leaving millions of children without consistent access to food.
Schools and community feeding partners are already making plans for the summer and 2022-23 school year.
Families in need of support to meet their food needs are encouraged to take advantage of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Formerly known as food stamps, SNAP supports low-income and working Pennsylvanians, allowing them to purchase produce and groceries for themselves and their family. SNAP helps more than 1.9 million Pennsylvanians, including children, people with disabilities, older adults and working Pennsylvanians, expand purchasing power to ensure their household has enough food to avoid going hungry. SNAP is issued through a monthly payment to an electronic benefit transfer card, and benefits are based off income and household size. People can apply for SNAP online at compass.state.pa.us at any time.
More about options for those in need can be found at agriculture.pa.gov/foodsecurity
