More than $18 million in state funding for Pennsylvania food pantries is tied up in Harrisburg, as Gov. Ed Rendell, Sen. Dominic Pileggi and state lawmakers continue to squabble over the state budget. The budget impasse could soon result in less food and fewer services at Philadelphia pantries and soup kitchens, which serve an estimated 152,000 of the region’s most vulnerable
residents, including children, seniors and people with disabilities.

The SHARE Food Program, which distributes food to most of the 500 feeding programs in the five-county region, administers the State Food Purchase Program for Philadelphia—the majority of the $18 million held up in the budget impasse. Since lawmakers failed to pass a comprehensive state budget in June, the state now owes more than $250,000 to SHARE for food
purchases and services.

As a result, “we’re now ordering 573,666 fewer pounds of food every month,” says Steveanna Wynn, executive director of SHARE. “Luckily, additional federal funding from President Obama’s economic stimulus plan has helped offset the huge loss, but who knows how long that will last? Or even how long we’ll have enough food to give out? The result could be devastating.”

The budget impasse has also forced SHARE to stop paying 22 of its vendors. That includes Philabundance, the region’s largest food bank, and Nutritional Development Services, which provides meals to schools, childcare centers and other organizations serving children and low-income residents.

The failure of Gov. Rendell, Sen. Pileggi and state legislators to pass a comprehensive budget comes at the worst possible time for food pantries and soup kitchens. Over the past two years, local feeding programs have experienced an unprecedented 69% increase in demand for food, while supplies have decreased by 20%—a result of higher food costs and declining donations.

“Soup kitchens and food pantries were already struggling to keep their heads above water before
the budget impasse came along,” says Carey Morgan, executive director of the Greater
Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, which works with dozens of food pantries and soup
kitchens in Southeastern Pennsylvania. “In this economic crisis, these feeding programs are on
the frontlines fighting hunger and poverty every day, and Harrisburg needs to act now to ensure
that they can continue serving the neediest residents in their communities.”

Additional facts:
In fall 2008, before the budget impasse, the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger
conducted its annual survey of nearly 200 food pantries and soup kitchens in the region. The
findings were already bleak:

• 50% of food pantries and soup kitchens “generally did not have enough food to distribute to meet their current demand.”
• 73% were forced to reduce the amount of food distributed due to lack of money, food, equipment or volunteers; 43% had to turn people away.
• 60% saw more families with children in 2008 than in the year prior.
• 53% saw more seniors (over age 60) in 2008.
• 84% anticipated that the demand for food from their feeding program would increase in 2009.

Currently, Philadelphia’s estimated 400 food pantries and soup kitchens:

• Assist 152,000 people in 88,000 households—more than half of 300,000 hungry Philadelphians—with ongoing food support.
• Serve an astounding 140,000 meals a month.
• Provide 1 million pounds of food a week—more than 50 million pounds of food a year.