(The Center Square) – With food banks reporting major increases in demand even before the battle to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program last month, food insecurity is top of mind for many this Thanksgiving.
In keeping with the holiday, public officials have set out to assist food programs like Meals on Wheels and the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s MilitaryShare.
Tuesday, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and Pennsylvania Air National Guard Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Lynn Lee joined volunteers in Gettysburg to get food out to military families and veterans.
“With programs like MilitaryShare, we ensure military families receive the support they’ve earned,” said Maj. Gen. John Pippy, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “We are grateful for community partners like the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and Department of Agriculture who pull together and remind us that caring for our heroes starts with caring for those they love.”
Food for the initiative comes from the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System, or PASS. PASS allows farmers and producers to get excess supplies to the state’s charitable food network while being reimbursed for the costs they incur harvesting and distributing product. Funding for the program comes from both state and federal coffers. The current state budget allocates $1 million for the program.
Across its 28 sites and 27-county range, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank distributes about six million pounds of food monthly. Of those who receive food assistance, 9% are active duty and veteran military families. The program serves 45,000 individuals from all branches and statuses.
“Pennsylvania’s military and veteran families have sacrificed so much for all of us,” Redding said. “As we enter the season of gratitude, it is our responsibility to ensure they have access to fresh, healthy food.
Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich set out in Lackawanna County Tuesday to deliver food with Meals on Wheels to vulnerable seniors. He was joined by Rep. Kyle Mullins, D-Peckville, Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, D-Scranton, and legislative staffers in the effort.
Pennsylvania’s aging population has led to what legislators describe as a “demographic crisis.” Communities and agencies have struggled to provide the resources needed to support the state’s vulnerable senior population.
According to Meals on Wheels, 455,800 seniors were food insecure in 2024, representing 13.4%. Senior households receiving funds from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are at 13.1%. Just under 10% meet the federal poverty guidelines, while an additional 8.7% meet the supplemental poverty measure. More than 26% of the state’s senior population lives alone, facing social isolation and underscoring a secondary benefit of food outreach programs.
The majority, 76.4%, of seniors served by Meals on Wheels in Pennsylvania are white. More than 30% of them live in rural areas. In 2024, the program delivered nearly seven million meals to the homes of more than 40,000 seniors. Additionally, they provided more than two million congregate meals.
