Gov. Wolf’s final food security report notes 37% decrease in food insecurity

WILKES-BARRE — Upon taking office, Gov. Tom Wolf and First Lady Frances Wolf immediately prioritized fighting hunger.

This week, Governor’s Food Security Partnership published its final report which revealed a 37% decrease in food insecurity since the beginning of the Wolf Administration.

In an action finalizing his legacy of support to improve access to food for all Pennsylvanians, Gov. Wolf signed an executive order creating the Pennsylvania Food Policy Council.

“Food is a basic human right that has the power to change lives,” said Gov. Wolf. “This Food Policy Council will work for the people of Pennsylvania; to improve their everyday lives and our collective future. It is our responsibility and our duty to take hunger off the table.”

The Pennsylvania Food Policy Council will build on this progress through continued evaluation of the issues facing Pennsylvania’s food system and developing strategies to improve food security and nutrition while reducing food waste.

The duties of the nine person council — which will include a director along with the secretaries of the departments of Aging, Agriculture, Education, Environmental Protection, Health, Human Services, and Labor & Industry — will include:

• Making recommendations to promote coordination, communication, and joint planning between agency programs and external partners in the private sector to support the food system.

• Developing recommendations on improved partnerships to better reach those at the highest risk of hunger and expand food and nutrition delivery systems.

• Developing recommendations to reduce food waste across Pennsylvania.

• Developing and implementing strategies to expand the use of Pennsylvania agricultural products in public and private food assistance programs.

• Developing a Food Action Plan to be updated on a biennial basis and include a strategic plan to accomplish goals and measure progress.

The report released by the Governor’s Food Security Partnership this week highlights administration accomplishments, innovations, and recommendations that provide a clear path forward to continued improvements to food security in Pennsylvania.

A key data point identified in the report and used to measure success and necessary improvements over the past eight years, has been the number of food insecure Pennsylvanians and children provided by Feeding America’s Meal Gap Report.

In 2015 when Gov. Wolf first took office, there were an estimated 1.8 million food-insecure Pennsylvanians and 564,440 food-insecure children.

As of the 2022 report, 1.13 million Pennsylvanians and 347,720 children are estimated to be food insecure — a decrease of 37% and 38% respectively.

“Because of the collaborative efforts between public, private, and nonprofit partners, nearly 700,000 of our neighbors, friends, and colleagues no longer have to wonder when or where they may find their next meal, said First Lady Wolf. “And while many of us will not be content until hunger is fully eradicated, we must take this moment to appreciate how far we’ve come, learn from our experiences, and rededicate ourselves to creating a Pennsylvania that is truly hunger free.”

The governor and first lady have worked to reduce barriers to access to food, strike out food apartheid, and support improved access to local, nutritional products for families across the commonwealth since the beginning of the Wolf Administration.

Casey, Scott introduce legislation to

combat hunger among older adults

U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and Ranking Member Tim Scott, R-SC, this week held a hearing entitled — “Setting the Table: Promoting Healthy and Affordable Food for Older Americans” — which examined efforts to ensure more older adults are able to consistently access nutritious food to improve health outcomes and lower health care costs.

Chairman Casey and Ranking Member Scott introduced the Senior Nutrition Task Force Act, which establishes an inter-agency task force to identify tools to combat hunger and malnutrition among older adults and adults with disabilities.

Chairman Casey also introduced the Tools for Ensuring Access to Meals (TEAM) Act, which would provide dedicated funding to implement the recommendations of the inter-agency task force.

The hearing also featured the Aging Committee’s bipartisan report recognizing the impact of 50 years of the Older Americans Act (OAA) Nutrition Program on older adult hunger. The OAA Nutrition Program ensures that older adults have affordable and nutritious meals, promotes socialization, and reduces food insecurity.

In 2020, Chairman Casey led the re-authorization of the OAA, including a 7% funding increase in the initial year, followed by a 6% increase annually through fiscal year 2024.

“With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August, Democrats made great strides in lowering the sky-high cost of prescription drugs for seniors,” Casey said. No senior should have to choose between putting food on the table or taking a needed medication.”

In Pennsylvania alone, over 95,000 older adults currently receive meals through the program. Food insecure and malnourished older adults often have an overall lower diet quality, which puts them at higher risk for developing chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, depression, and hypertension. Additionally, adults with disabilities are over two times more likely to be food insecure than their non-disabled counterparts.

Casey: Government fails to ensure web access

for people with disabilities, older adults, veterans

U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Bob Casey, D-Scranton, this week said he is releasing “Unlocking the Virtual Front Door” — a report detailing the findings of an 11-month investigation that found widespread failure across the federal government to ensure that federal technology is accessible for people with disabilities, older adults, and veterans.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal technology to be accessible for, and usable by, people with disabilities.

However, Sen. Casey’s report found that federal websites, particularly within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), are out of compliance — creating barriers for people with disabilities who rely on federal technology for essential services, including health care, employment, Social Security, and more.

Specifically, the report found that:

• The VA has repeatedly failed to make its technology accessible for people with disabilities.

• Federal technology presents accessibility barriers for people with disabilities at departments and agencies across the government.

• Federal departments and agencies can take years to address Section 508 violations.

• Insufficient oversight and enforcement of Section 508 has led to a lack of compliance, resulting in federal technology that is inaccessible for people with disabilities.

Sen. Casey is also releasing 12 recommendations that set out solutions for the federal government to address these shortfalls. The recommendations call on Congress to consider amending Section 508 in order to adapt to advances in technology, inspectors general to incorporate Section 508 compliance into their oversight plans, and federal departments and agencies to appoint accessibility officers with direct responsibility for adherence to Section 508.

Rep. Cartwright announces $250,000 for

substance abuse and mental health services

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, this week announced that $250,000 in federal funds have been awarded to Lackawanna County from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The funds will support the De-escalation and Crisis Intervention Collaboration Project, a cooperative effort between Lackawanna County and the Advocacy Alliance.

The Project aims to train a total of 600 police officers and related professionals over a five-year period in de-escalating mental health and addiction-related crises in the field. The trainings will provide strategies and tactics to law enforcement professionals to reduce the use of deadly force as well as provide them with resources and skills to manage their own mental health and the emotional demands of the job.

“I am grateful Lackawanna County sees the value in using crisis intervention and de-escalation to treat people at their lowest moments,” Cartwright said. “By teaming up with Advocacy Alliance to provide these essential trainings, officers in Lackawanna County will have the support and resources they need to respond safely when they’re called to help someone in crisis. I am proud to fight for funding for law enforcement to have the tools, training and resources they need to keep our communities as safe as possible.”

Awarded by the Center for Mental Health Services within HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, this grant program provides essential funding for substance abuse treatment, prevention and mental health needs. Projects and community-based organizations funded by this program improve access, reduce barriers, and promote high quality, effective treatment and recovery services.