Column: Congress has tool that can help build stronger communities and support farmers

We’re all feeling the pain of sticker shock at the grocery store. Grocery bills have become heftier as the prices of eggs, dairy and other pantry and refrigerator staples remain high. Everyone should have reliable access to the food needed to thrive, but more expensive food is essentially inaccessible for over 80,000 of our neighbors facing hunger in northwest Pennsylvania.

Stagnant wages far outpace the current cost of living. According to the USDA, many households with low incomes are already spending 30 percent of their budget on food. Amid higher-than-usual grocery prices, food banks like the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania are stepping in to fill in the gaps — but food banks aren’t immune from the impact of inflated costs.

Second Harvest has a network of 376 partner agencies, including food pantries and meal programs across 11 counties. We know firsthand how great the need for food assistance is in northwest Pennsylvania. The demand is exceptionally high in rural areas, where hunger is most concentrated due to unique challenges, including lack of transportation, low-wage jobs and underemployment.

Our organization works year-round to support children, seniors, military veterans and their families, working adults and others by putting food on the table.

However, that job has become even more challenging as performing our day-to-day tasks — transporting, storing, and distributing food — has become pricier.

Pandemic-era Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) emergency allotments were a lifeline for our neighbors in need as the cost of living soared and Pennsylvania food banks experienced a 40 percent increase in cost for bulk staples from 2020 to 2023. When those emergency benefits ended in February, lines as much as doubled at many food distributions across Second Harvest’s network.

In short, a perfect storm of conditions is making it harder for food banks to help our neighbors keep their refrigerators full, worsening hunger nationwide. However, investing in tried-and-true anti-hunger programs such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) can help.

Though not widely known, TEFAP is a vital federal nutrition program that moves U.S.-grown food from farms to food banks to individuals and families facing hunger. TEFAP is a cornerstone of Second Harvest’s food supply. Last year, Second Harvest relied on TEFAP for 15 percent of the food provided through our anti-hunger network. With critical support from TEFAP, Second Harvest was able to provide 11.5 million pounds of food to our neighbors facing hunger. TEFAP is an important program to ensure fewer people go hungry.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson and their colleagues on Capitol Hill must invest in proven solutions to ensure food access year-round.

They have a prime opportunity to do so right now. Every five years, Congress passes legislation that governs national agriculture, nutrition, conservation and forestry policy, commonly called the “farm bill.” In the 2023 Farm Bill, policymakers can strengthen funding for TEFAP food purchases. Such an increase would mean more healthy foods — fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, milk and cheese, and grain products — moving from food bank shelves to kitchen tables across northwest Pennsylvania.

Additionally, lawmakers can boost funding to help food banks offset the cost of storing and transporting more TEFAP foods. Moving millions of pounds of food requires trucks, drivers, refrigeration, and other essentials that have become more expensive, depleting food bank budgets. Food banks need additional support to continue meeting a demand for food assistance that remains as high or higher than the pandemic peak in many communities.

Alongside investments in TEFAP, the 2023 Farm Bill must also support and strengthen SNAP through strong, permanent, and sustainable provisions. SNAP is the nation’s most effective federal food program.

The program provides timely, targeted, and temporary benefits that are only redeemable for food, boosting the grocery purchasing power of eligible families.

TEFAP and SNAP work hand-in-hand to help people across the country access nutritious food. Congress can bolster these critical programs in the 2023 Farm Bill to bring us one step closer to building a hunger-free nation.

The bottom line: Our lawmakers can come together to ensure no one goes hungry because they’re priced out of affording a meal.

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania calls on our community to contact their leaders and ask them to support a strong 2023 Farm Bill that enhances our best tools for supporting our neighbors facing hunger.

Karen S. Seggi is CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania.