By Jay Worrall<\/p>\n
President, Helping Harvest<\/p>\n
Yes, the federal government shutdown has been resolved, and Pennsylvania\u2019s budget has been passed. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients are once again receiving their monthly benefits. These are small victories worth celebrating.<\/p>\n
But let me be clear: We are facing the most critical period of food insecurity since the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
And we cannot afford to make the same mistake we made back then.<\/p>\n
As the worst of the pandemic lockdowns, furloughs and layoffs subsided, many of us in the charitable food system believed that with some return to normalcy, the demand for food assistance would decrease. We were wrong. What we thought was temporary became permanent. We\u2019ve been living in a \u201cnew normal\u201d ever since.<\/p>\n
Our distribution numbers tell the story. We\u2019ve never returned to pre-pandemic levels of need. Instead, demand has climbed relentlessly. In 2021, Helping\u00a0Harvest\u00a0distributed nearly $11.8 million worth of food. In 2022, over $14.8 million. In 2023, nearly $17 million. In 2024, almost $20.7 million. Already in 2025, we\u2019ve distributed over $19 million worth of food, and that upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing.<\/p>\n
This October was the single busiest month we\u2019ve seen since the pandemic, with 1,130,976 pounds of food distributed throughout our service territory. Only June 2020 \u2014 at the height of the COVID-19 crisis \u2014 surpassed it at 1,157,928 pounds. In Schuylkill County alone, we hit our highest numbers ever: 284,466 pounds of food distributed in October, far exceeding even our previous record of 251,521 pounds in November 2022.<\/p>\n
So why didn\u2019t demand decrease after COVID restrictions ended? And why won\u2019t it decrease now that the government shutdown is over and SNAP benefits have resumed?<\/p>\n
In short, soaring prices at the grocery store \u2014 largely due to inflation \u2014 aren\u2019t going away. Every month, grocery bills creep a little higher, thereby making it harder for more families to put adequate food on the table, even when they have reliable income streams.<\/p>\n
For folks who were already food insecure, the uncertainty around SNAP benefits (as well as the pause in payments during the government shutdown) has only made them feel\u00a0more\u00a0insecure. This means that many neighbors are turning to us on a more regular basis to ensure they can feed their families.<\/p>\n
Another reason that demand likely won\u2019t decrease anytime soon is related to awareness, as simple as that sounds. Because of the recent focus on food insecurity, more neighbors are now aware of supports that are available to them, and they will likely continue to use those supports for the foreseeable future. Additionally, this increased visibility has helped reduce the stigma related to asking for \u2014 or needing \u2014 help.<\/p>\n
During the government shutdown, as SNAP payments were paused, our partners saw a surge of new neighbors at distributions. Families that previously scraped by on their incomes or benefits alone suddenly couldn\u2019t make it work. Food insecurity became front-page news. Community members, organizations and media outlets shared information about food assistance more widely than ever before.<\/p>\n
The impact was immediate and dramatic. Our online Food Map saw a 160% spike in traffic. Daily calls from neighbors seeking help quadrupled \u2014 on our busiest days, we couldn\u2019t answer phones fast enough, even with extra staff and volunteers fielding calls. Mobile Markets that typically serve 250 families suddenly welcomed more than 400.<\/p>\n
Now that SNAP benefits are restored, will these new neighbors simply disappear? History tells us they won\u2019t. The COVID crisis taught us that lesson. Many SNAP recipients still struggle to afford adequate, nutritious food. And all those families who just discovered that help exists, and who were treated with respect and dignity when they came to one of our partners for food, will remember where to turn when they need it.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what concerns me most: We\u2019re already operating at crisis levels, and we haven\u2019t yet absorbed the full impact of this recent surge. The demand isn\u2019t going to recede. In all likelihood, it\u2019s going to grow.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve been overwhelmed \u2014 in the best way \u2014 by our community\u2019s response over these past weeks. Volunteer inquiries have exploded. Financial and food donations have increased. The generosity has been remarkable.<\/p>\n
But this fight isn\u2019t over. Like in 2020, we must prepare for a new baseline of need. The difference is, this time we know what\u2019s coming. And we\u2019re asking for your continued support before the crisis deepens.<\/p>\n
Every dollar donated makes a difference for neighbors in need. Every volunteer hour helps us serve more families. Every pound of food donated goes directly to someone struggling to feed their household.<\/p>\n
The need won\u2019t diminish because the headlines have moved on. But neither will our commitment to meeting it, as long as our community continues to stand with us.<\/p>\n