Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility An agricultural powerhouse – with a food crisis

An agricultural powerhouse – with a food crisis

Rep. Abigail Salisbury    March 28, 2025 | 4:07 PM

I recently joined Rep. Justin Fleming for an event in his district aimed at addressing what the Central PA Food Bank CEO calls our state's "food crisis."

1 in 9 adults and 1 in 5 children in our state experience hunger.

PA has such a huge agriculture industry that we are the only state with our own Farm Bill, but people are still hungry. How can that be?

Governor Shapiro and Agriculture Secretary Redding listened to small-scale farmers of several types talking about their own struggles, including market uncertainty and their desire to feed Pennsylvanians in a way that allows them to provide for their own families.

The food banks have now lost a huge amount of the federal funding that enabled them to work with local farmers to help with their costs of production while also fighting hunger.

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank was in Harrisburg to talk to state legislators about the need to make up for the huge federal funding loss back in Allegheny County. People should not be allowed to go hungry while farmers have the food to feed them. It should be a win-win, but the food banks need the funding to make it happen.

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