Pennsylvania officials say they will help fight hunger

State officials and several Cabinet secretaries today are rolling out the Wolf administration’s plan to fight hunger in Pennsylvania at a mid-state food bank.

Among the plan’s goals are for the state to increase participation in the food stamp program, formally know as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, from 90 percent of eligible individuals to 98 percent or higher by the year 2020; to increase the number of children benefiting from free and reduced price school meals during the school year and associated programs during the summer; to make programs to double the value to food stamps available at more farmers’ markets; and to increase participation in the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program from 245,000 to 260,000 people within four years.

More than 1.7 million Pennsylvanians experience “food insecurity,” according to data from Feeding America.

Hunger and public benefits advocates said they were pleased with a number of the specific goals outlined in the plan that could ease the bureaucratic burdens for individuals seeking food or other assistance.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2016/09/21/PA-officials-say/stories/201609210156