Gov. Tom Wolf announces $4 million in grants to nonprofits that feed the hungry

PENNSYLVANIA - There are countless people fighting hunger and with the ballooning unemployment rate, the problem of food security will most likely get worse before it gets better.

On Tuesday, the weekly stream of hungry clients picked up a month’s worth of food from the pantry at the Bernadine Center in Chester.

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“And they’re told how many they can pick from here and the pick what they want,” Sister Sandra Lyons told FOX 29.

She has been running the place for 12 years and if there’s one thing she sees nowadays, it’s not just the need for food but the need for donations.

 “A lot of people are struggling in the sense they don’t know where to turn," Paul Mickle, a volunteer with the Media food pantry, said.

A month ago, they were feeding 30 families at the Media food pantry. Last week, it was nearly 70 families.

Some help is coming, Gov. Tom Wolf announced on Tuesday $4 million in grants to nonprofits that feed the hungry like the Bernadine Center and the Media food pantry. 

“At a time when our fellow residents are facing hunger and financial hardship, we all have a moral obligation to do what we can to help, and that includes expanding this grant program, quickly delivering grant awards, and helping ensure that food is not being wasted,” Gov. Wolf said.

The governor also sent a letter to Pennsylvania's congressional delegation asking for increased benefits and fewer restrictions to the federal food stamp program. 

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