Two million people in Pennsylvania regularly receive SNAP benefits, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Data show about 160,000 of them are in Allegheny County.
After state officials announced that November SNAP benefits will not be paid until the federal shutdown ends, local food banks and other nonprofits are trying to figure out their next course of action to help as many of those people as possible.
“Food assistance can’t be used as a political pawn, you know, in a debate that’s supposedly about healthcare affordability. You can’t hold hostage benefits,” said Ann Sanders, Director of Public Benefits, Policy and Programs at Just Harvest, an anti-hunger organization in Pittsburgh…