Ag Secretary joins Feeding PA to lead Lehigh Valley roundtable on regional food security challenges in wake of cancelled USDA contract.
Governor Shapiro’s 2025–26 budget proposes $8 million for food assistance and key measures to fight food insecurity—like cutting costs and supporting PA farmers.
Nazareth, PA – Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding joined Second Harvest Food Bank Associate Executive Director Sarah Wassel and Feeding PA CEO Julie Bancroft for a roundtable discussion with local farmers to highlight Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed investments in the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) and the State Food Purchase Program (SFPP). These programs are vital to strengthening Pennsylvania’s food supply chain and ensuring that nutritious food reaches those who need it, especially with announced federal cuts to support for Pennsylvania farmers and food banks.
Today’s discussion brought food bank leaders and farmers together to explore the region’s challenges that would be magnified by federal funding cuts. In contrast, the group discussed the positive impact the increases and initiatives in Governor Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal would have on Pennsylvania food banks, the regional food system, and area farmers.
"With the bipartisan support of the General Assembly and the overwhelming generosity of Pennsylvania farmers, we have built successful programs to tackle food insecurity and put healthy, nutritious, local food on the tables of families across Pennsylvania,” said Secretary Redding. “We simply can’t afford to turn back time and undermine the progress we have made together for Pennsylvania families and farms.”
In his 2025-26 budget proposal, Governor Josh Shapiro calls for a $4 million increase to the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS), which connects low-income Pennsylvanians with healthy, local food through 13 regional food banks across the state. The Governor’s budget proposal also calls for an addition $4 million for the State Food Purchase Program (SFPP) to increase the resources available to emergency food providers in all 67 counties. These proposed increases would bring the combined total for these programs to $34.6 million. Governor Shapiro has been a champion for reducing food insecurity in Pennsylvania by tackling its root causes, including raising the minimum wage and cutting costs for Pennsylvanians.
The proposed funding comes at a pivotal moment for food security efforts across the Commonwealth. Demand for food assistance remains high, and the recent, abrupt cancellation of $13 million through the USDA’s Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) program has left a significant funding gap. In response, Governor Shapiro directed Secretary Redding to formally appeal the loss of $13 million in federal LFPA support — funding that would have supported 189 Pennsylvania farms over the next three years.
Designed to support PA’s agricultural producers in weathering the whims of Mother Nature and market pressures, PASS pays producers for wholesome food products. Food is diverted to Pennsylvania's food banks instead of being left in the fields or landfilled. Each year, PASS supports over 1.4 million Pennsylvania households by distributing more than six million pounds of locally sourced food from over 100 farmers.
Through the State Food Purchase Program (SFPP), the largest state-funded initiative of its kind in the nation, Pennsylvania provides direct cash grants to counties for the purchase and distribution of food to low-income individuals and families. In 2023-24, more than 3.1 million Pennsylvanians were served throughout all 67 counties. Designed to supplement the efforts of food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters, SFPP reflects the Commonwealth’s ongoing commitment to addressing hunger and improving nutrition. As one of the few states to use its own revenues for emergency food assistance, Pennsylvania continues to lead with innovative and impactful solutions to food insecurity.
"Farmers in the Lehigh Valley provide fresh, local food to families, whether through farmers markets or food banks” said Senator Nick Miller. “Funding cuts put livelihoods at risk and make it harder for families to access healthy, affordable food. I'm committed to working with Secretary Redding, Governor Shapiro, and partners across Pennsylvania to protect our farms and ensure no one goes hungry."
According to Feeding America, more than one in eight Pennsylvanians struggle with hunger. At a time when food banks are seeing record-high demand due to high costs and our farmers are facing some of the toughest market conditions in decades — we need to be supporting Pennsylvania farmers and families, not making it harder for them to get by. Pennsylvania is one of the only states in the nation that uses LFPA funds to exclusively support in-state farmers, ensuring federal dollars stay in-state and go directly to Pennsylvania farmers.
“Agricultural partnerships are transformative for Pennsylvania’s charitable food system. Investments in PASS and LFPA aid farmers who fuel our Commonwealth while contributing to healthier communities by creating efficient avenues to reduce food waste and connect individuals and families experiencing hunger with nutritious, local foods to help them thrive,” said Julie Bancroft, CEO, Feeding Pennsylvania.
Second Harvest Food Bank of the Greater Lehigh and Northeast Pennsylvania, a program of Community Action Lehigh Valley, partners with 40 farmers through the LFPA program and supports 152 agency partners across six counties. Last year, it distributed 16.7 million pounds of food—equivalent to over 13.2 million meals—including 10 million pounds of rescued food and 8.8 million pounds of fresh items. It also delivered over 28,000 senior food boxes and served more than 500 military families monthly. Beyond food distribution, Second Harvest promotes long-term health and food access through programs like the Healthy Pantry Initiative, which offers nutrition education and cooking demos, and Growing Partners in collaboration with The Seed Farm, which helps residents grow their own food.
Through its Farm to Food Bank initiative, made possible by the LFPA and PASS programs, Second Harvest strengthens its efforts to provide nutritious foods by working directly with local farmers to meet the rising needs of its region. This programming has created new markets for local farms, supports the region’s economy, reduces food waste, and connects the community’s extensive agricultural resources with neighbors facing food insecurity.
“Through our Farm to Food Bank initiative, made possible by the LFPA and PASS programs, we’re not just feeding families—we’re investing in our local farmers, ensuring the availability of healthy foods, reducing food waste, and strengthening the fabric of our regional economy,” said Sarah Wassel, Associate Executive Director at Second Harvest. “This work allows us to support our entire community and take steps towards addressing the underlying causes of food insecurity. Thanks to LFPA and PASS, we’ve transformed our community’s agricultural abundance into a lifeline for neighbors facing hunger while building the strength of our regional supply chain.”
What Lehigh Valley farmers are saying:
“Working with the food banks through the LFPA is very rewarding. Knowing that our product is not being wasted and that it can be used by someone is fantastic. It is even more rewarding knowing that it is all staying in the local community and helping those who are less fortunate to get a good nutritious meal,” said Travis Hahn, owner of Twin Maple Farm in Bath. “Our farm is currently marketing a percentage of our potato crop to the food banks through the LFPA program, we also sell excess peppers, sweet corn, cabbage, and beans through this program. The loss of this program will mean the loss of one avenue of market for our product that is grown in eastern Pennsylvania. One huge advantage to working through LFPA is the food bank’s ability to handle surplus product during the growing season which virtually eliminates waste on the farm and in the field.”
“All in all, LFPA is a win-win for small family farms like mine and the Pennsylvania families who receive our produce. LFPA funding has allowed us to partner with Second Harvest Food Bank to forge community-based solutions to food insecurity that help address root causes of hunger and ultimately reduce dependence on the charitable food system,” said Richard Rowe of Bechdolt Orchards. “By stimulating the local economy and providing higher quality, nutritious foods to food insecure neighbors, we can reduce food insecurity, improve health outcomes, and support our local farmers and agriculture community.”
“The LFPA program was the perfect fit for our farm,” said Greg Edelman, owner of Terra Fauna Farm in Northampton. “The access to new market opportunities it granted us greatly raised the demand for the vegetables we grew and in turn the income they generated. For the first time since we started our farm 15 years ago, I was able to work on the farm full-time without having to work another job. Surely something a potential future generation of farmers will notice.”
“Farming and participating in the LFPA program are extremely important to us,” Edelman continued. “Providing access to fresh vegetables for our community is very satisfying work. The food security and nutritional benefits the LFPA brings is beneficial to the overall health of our farms and nation. Losing this source of funding for our farm was very surprising. We have made purchases and plans were in place for a significant amount of increased production on our farm. We have since had to start scaling back those plans and I have returned to work at an off-farm job.”
Agriculture is a cornerstone of Pennsylvania’s economy, with over 53,000 farms generating $132.5 billion annually and supporting 600,000 jobs. Governor Shapiro’s Economic Development Strategy places agriculture at the forefront, recognizing it as essential to the Commonwealth’s growth.
Since taking office, he has prioritized funding to strengthen the industry and enhance Pennsylvania’s national agricultural reputation. The Governor’s investments, including the creation of the nation’s first Agricultural Innovation Grant and the revival of the Fresh Food Financing Initiative, are key to ensuring a stable, sustainable food system in Pennsylvania and supporting Pennsylvania’s farmers.
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