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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; State Rep. Tarah Toohil and Gov. Tom Wolf Wednesday said it is critical to take action to address the rising concern for food security during the COVID-19 pandemic.
				Toohil, R-Butler Township, and the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) have been working together to stabilize food resources to help those in need throughout Greater Hazleton during the coronavirus pandemic.
				Toohil said the initiative has been conducted with various food banks throughout Greater Hazleton and she said the focus is on serving as many people in need as possible during this difficult time.
				&ldquo;Our office has been working with CEO to prepare our community with stable food pantry resources,&rdquo; Toohil said. &ldquo;We are trying to stabilize as many food banks as possible, as the need for food is growing as our community is faced with high unemployment and loss of income during the COVID-19 disaster declaration.&rdquo;
				In addition to supplying food, Toohil said there was a need for cardboard boxes to deliver the meals throughout the area. She said CAN DO assisted with the collection and delivery of more than 500 boxes for the project.
				The boxes came from several companies throughout CAN DO&rsquo;s parks, including PSI Container, Packaging Wholesalers, International Paper and others.
				&ldquo;We were able to set up 500 meals to be delivered last week but then there was an issue with needing delivery boxes,&rdquo; Toohil said. &ldquo;We are grateful to Nancy Stasko from CAN DO for immediately reaching out to the local employers to fulfill the need. We have an excellent group of community resources and we are glad that they were so immediately responsive. This is what makes the Greater Hazleton area a great community.&rdquo;
				Gov. Wolf letter
				Gov. Wolf sent a letter to the members of Pennsylvania&rsquo;s congressional delegation urging Congress to take legislative action to ensure access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to those who need it now and during the recovery months that will follow.
				The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) received a similar letter requesting reconsiderations for interpretations of SNAP made by the USDA&rsquo;s Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), which denied Pennsylvania&rsquo;s request to allow college students to be counted towards their household&rsquo;s benefit and determined that time-limited pandemic unemployment compensation would be counted as income, potentially disqualifying households that would have otherwise qualified.
				&ldquo;Many Pennsylvanians are now experiencing extremely challenging economic situations due to the pandemic,&rdquo; Gov. Wolf wrote. &ldquo;Pennsylvania needs to have every tool possible to support our most vulnerable citizens. That&rsquo;s why we are calling on Congress to take swift action to ensure access to SNAP so Pennsylvanians have enough food throughout the COVID-19 crisis. We appreciate that Congress and the USDA have provided some flexibility for the SNAP program, but more must be done to help Pennsylvanians weather the difficult weeks ahead.&rdquo;
				The Wolf Administration has submitted numerous SNAP-related waivers for Pennsylvania to the FNS. Pennsylvania has been permitted to waive certain regulatory requirements to provide flexibility for the commonwealth&rsquo;s administration of SNAP and provide emergency allotments to some current SNAP households.
				These waivers allow for eased access and increased benefits for families that rely on the program; however, Wolf said more must be done.
				The Department of Human Services (DHS) has also requested clarifications on operational adjustments necessary to administer SNAP during the pandemic. The federal government has not directed states on how to verify for reductions in income, as opposed to outright job loss, due to the COVID-19 health emergency. This guidance is necessary so applications may be properly processed.
				Grants available
				The Wolf Administration is making immediate changes to the Food Recovery Infrastructure Grant Program to help ensure food banks are adequately supplied to meet the needs of Pennsylvania residents.
				Increased demand on the charitable food system related to COVID-19 has demonstrated an immediate need for resources to support additional cold storage space, and more flexibility and changes to this grant program.
				The changes also encourage partnerships between nonprofit organizations such as food banks and farms, processors and cooperatives that continue to experience challenges within the food supply chain as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.
				&ldquo;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,&rdquo; Wolf said.
				Changes to the grant solicitation process include:
				&#8226; Closing the round of grant eligibility on May 8 to review applications and deliver awards as soon as possible;
				&#8226; Expanding the list of potential partners beyond retailers and wholesalers to also include farms, processors and cooperatives; and
				&#8226; Removing pre-application meeting requirements to expedite applications.
				The changes to the program are effective immediately.

Rep. Toohil, CEO partner to stabilize food resources; Wolf cites need