New SNAP changes may cause rise in local food bank use

Commonwealth officials recently put out a call for Pennsylvanians to support their local food banks and pantries as a way to help deal with changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits that took effect on March 1, 2023.

Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Val Arkoosh and Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary for Strategic Initiatives and Market Development Cheryl Cook joined leadership from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and Feeding Pennsylvania to highlight the changes and point out how important support for area services is as the statewide systems works to help people affected by this change.

The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which was passed and signed into law in December, ends a pandemic-era response policy that has provided recipients with an additional SNAP payment every month since early 2020. These payments, known as Emergency Allotments (EAs), bring SNAP households to the maximum monthly benefit for their household size or - if the household is already at its maximum - are $95, whichever is greater.

Beginning this month, all SNAP households will lose a minimum of $95 a month in benefits with a statewide average impact of $181 per household. Additionally, a recent change to Social Security Income following the 2023 cost of living adjustment will cause some seniors and people with disabilities to experience, on average, a further $40 decrease in monthly benefits once EAs end.

For information on food assistance programs, log onto https://www.dhs.pa.gov/about/Ending-Hunger/Pages/Food-Programs.aspx