HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Police announced that 1,774 youths graduated this year from 22 Pennsylvania State Police Camp Cadet programs held throughout the Commonwealth. FULL ARTICLE

HARRISBURG, Pa. (EYT) — Pennsylvania residents are going hungry when they don’t have to. Pennsylvanians are missing out on tens of millions of dollars in federal food assistance, but a new plan aims to change that. Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled his administration’s food security plan Wednesday and announced the receipt of a federal grant aimed at addressing hunger in young children up to age 5. Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service awarded $500,000.00 to Pennsylvania to help improve retention of children in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). These funds will enable the state Department of Health to better fulfill its crucial role in ensuring young children up to age five have a foundation for nutritional success. For more than 40 years, WIC has provided nutritious foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to other health and social services. The program serves low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding and postpartum mothers, infants, and young children up to the age of five who are found to be nutritionally at risk. Another goal of the program is to change the thinking among older Pennsylvanians about applying for benefits. According to Department of Human Services Secretary Ted Dallas, 7 in 10 seniors eligible for aid don’t apply for benefits. Aging Secretary Teresa Osbourne said many seniors perceive a stigma associated with getting benefits through the program commonly referred to as "food stamps." This “senior SNAP gap” is a glaring problem that must be addressed before food insecurity can be eliminated, she said. Single seniors are eligible for SNAP as long as the annual income doesn’t exceed $23,544.00 per year, according to guidelines in Human Services. For couples, income limits are $31,872.00 a year. The aging department tries to provide helpers to seniors to make sure they fill out applications correctly. The state also has sent notices to lawmakers to urge them to connect seniors with assistance if they show up in district offices looking for help. Sept. 29, 2015, Wolf signed an executive order establishing the Governor’s Food Security Partnership, which is comprised of the secretaries of the departments of Aging, Agriculture, Community and Economic Development, Education, Health, and Human Services. “Over the last year, the Partnership has worked with public, charitable, and private leaders in food security to develop the goals and initiatives needed to create a hunger-free Pennsylvania,” said Dallas. “For many Pennsylvanians, food insecurity is a daily part of life. “It is estimated that more than 1.7 million Pennsylvanians, or 13.8 percent, experience food insecurity – we believe that the goals established in the blueprint will change that.” “The Department of Agriculture is committed to connecting low-income Pennsylvanians in need of food assistance with healthy, nutritious products produced right here in the commonwealth by our more than 59,000 farm families,” said Secretary Redding. “That includes connecting them to Pennsylvania products through innovative programs like the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System, Farmers Market Nutrition Programs, and Farm-to-School programs.” For those looking for help locally, contacting the county assistance office is a good idea. In Jefferson County, call 814-938-2990. Also, the WIC offices can be reached at 814-849-2374 in Brookville and 814-938-7602 in Punxsutawney. There are also three food pantries in the county. They include Brookville Food Pantry at 849-3469, Cross Town Food Pantry in Punxsy at 814-938-5541 and Reynoldsville Gospel Center at 814-541-0394. For those who are interested in helping, there are several ways to do so: • Increase awareness about food insecurity at your school, place of worship, with your legislators, or local businesses. • Volunteer to teach cooking classes to low income families or deliver meals. • Plant an extra row of vegetables in your garden and donate the produce to your local food pantry. • Talk to people struggling with food insecurity about benefits that may be available for them. • Set up a Summer Food Service Program site at a local park or library. • Establish a local food alliance in your community or join one that currently exists in your community. • Advocate to your local school district that they implement innovative ways of providing breakfast to students. • Work with farmers to start gleaning projects where volunteers pick unharvested crops to get them into the hands of those in need. • Start a food pantry in your place of worship, school, or library. • Ask your grocery store if they donate their meats and produce to a food bank. • Hold a fundraiser dinner or fun run to raise money and awareness for a food pantry. • Talk to businesses and industries about how they can donate old box trucks or refrigeration units to food banks. For more information about the hunger plan, visit www.dhs.pa.gov/ending-hunger. For more information on the WIC program, visit www.health.pa.gov.