First Lady Lori Shapiro and Cabinet Members Join Carlisle’s Project SHARE to Distribute Healthy Food to Low-Income Families
Carlisle, PA – Today, First Lady Lori Shapiro, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, and Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh joined Project SHARE staff and volunteers loading groceries, including holiday turkeys into clients’ cars during a drive-thru food distribution. Project SHARE, a partner in distributing food assistance through three state programs, serves 1,000 households in SouthCentral Pennsylvania through their Your Choice Pantry, farmstand, drive-thru, and home deliveries, summer feeding programs, nutrition classes, and other programs.
“Too many Pennsylvanians lack access to healthy food,” said First Lady Lori Shapiro. “Josh and I are committed to investing in food security across the Commonwealth – and that starts with delivering resources and support to food assistance organizations like Project SHARE and to our agriculture community to help them keep putting food on our tables. We will continue to work to ensure our farms thrive and our families have access to fresh and nutritious food.”
According to Feeding Pennsylvania, and Feeding America’s 2023 Map the Meal Gap report, 1.5 million Pennsylvanians face food insecurity – they don’t always know where their next meal is coming from. That includes 436,000 children, or one in six, who are facing hunger. Hunger is not an issue of food scarcity, many of those children and families live in communities where there is nowhere nearby to buy fresh, affordable, healthy food.
“Pennsylvania farmers produce an incredible bounty to feed our families, and our businesses and communities are generous, especially around the holidays,” Secretary Redding said. “But too many of our neighbors still struggle to access fresh, healthy, affordable food. The Shapiro Administration is committed to supporting the generosity of partnerships like Project SHARE, and to expanding opportunities for vulnerable Pennsylvanians to find the fresh, healthy food they need to thrive during the holiday season and throughout the year.”
“Every Pennsylvanian deserves the peace of mind of knowing where their next meal is coming from without having to make the difficult choice between paying for groceries or paying for rent or medications. That’s why DHS is proud to administer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps more than 2 million of our fellow Pennsylvanians access fresh, nutritious food and achieve food security,” Secretary Arkoosh said. “We do this work hand in hand with our charitable food network, and I encourage my fellow Pennsylvanians, especially during the holiday season, to please help your local food banks however you can – with a donation of time, money, or food.”
Project SHARE harvests surplus, fresh produce donated by area farmers and engages partnership and support from Partnership for Better Health, G.B. Stuart Charitable Foundation, the United Way, GIANT® food stores, Wegmans, Walmart, Allen Distribution, Dickinson College, and other local foundations and businesses. The organization is a partner agency in Cumberland County for distributing food through the State Food Purchase Program, Senior Food Boxes, and The Emergency Food Program.
“We are grateful for the visit from First Lady Lori Shapiro and Secretaries Redding and Arkoosh, to highlight the work being done at Project SHARE,” said SHARE’s Executive Director Emma Wong. “Almost 1 in 10 people in our community experience food insecurity – they are our neighbors, friends and family. At Project SHARE, we are committed to providing healthy nutritious food to those in our community who need it. During the holiday season especially, the Project SHARE team and volunteers roll up their sleeves and work hard to ensure that our community does not go hungry, with the vision of distributing not just food but hope.”
Shapiro Administration investments to increase access to healthy food for vulnerable Pennsylvanians include:
$46.5 million to provide universal free breakfast to all of Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million public school students and free lunch to all 22,000 Pennsylvania students who are eligible for reduced-price lunches through the National School Lunch Program.
$4 million to relaunch the Fresh Food Financing Initiative, which supports businesses working to expand access to fresh food across Pennsylvania. The grant program is open for applications through January 18, 2025.
$2 million increase in 2023-24 to the State Food Purchase Program to provide state funds for emergency food assistance for low-income Pennsylvanians, connect surplus food donated by farmers through the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System to food banks and food pantries statewide, and connect low-income seniors to Senior Food Boxes filled with nutritious dietary staples.
Convening and staffing the Pennsylvania Food Policy Council, a public-private partnership examining the complex issues contributing to food insecurity and food waste, and implementing strategies to improve nutrition and support healthy, equitable food systems for all Pennsylvanians.
Pennsylvanians who need food assistance can apply for SNAP, as well as other public assistance programs, in several convenient ways: online at www.dhs.pa.gov/compass, in person at a local County Assistance Office, or over the phone by calling 1-866-550-4355. Individuals do not need to know their eligibility before applying for any public assistance benefits.
Pennsylvanians can also visit PA Navigate, DHS’ new resource and referral tool, to connect with food resources and other health and social care services in their local community. For urgent food assistance needs, individuals can call 211 or visit www.pa211.org or can visit www.feedingpa.org to find local food banks and other food assistance programs.
Find more information about Food Assistance Programs in Pennsylvania here, and learn more about how the Governor’s budget will create economic opportunity for all Pennsylvanians here.
High-resolution photos of today’s event can be found here:
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