PA's Food Security Program Thriving: What To Know

HARLEYSVILLE, PA — A Wolf administration official made a stop in Montgomery County on Wednesday to tout a new state program designed to improve food security and also help out Pennsylvania's economy.

Cheryl Cook, deputy secretary for market development with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, visited the Garden of Health Inc. Food Bank in Harleysville Wednesday morning to highlight the Pennsylvania Agriculture Surplus System, which has distributed more than 22 million pounds of food from farmers to commonwealth residents in need, and has also generated more than $39 million in economic output.

The state program connects nonprofits to farms and food processors to help with issues of hunger and food waste, according to the Department of Agriculture. The program funds the harvesting, processing, transporting and packaging of surplus food generated by farms across the commonwealth that would either go to waste, or is purposely designed to be donated.

The food from the program is given out to families in all 67 Pennsylvania counties through a contract with Feeding Pennsylvania, which is a statewide association of nine affiliated Feeding America food banks.

"PASS is a critical program that supports farmers and processors while getting nutritious Pennsylvania-produced food to the tables of food-insecure families," Jane Clements, chief executive officer of Feeding Pennsylvania, said in a statement. "We are grateful for the additional support from the [Wolf] administration, and we will continue to utilize PASS funding to combat hunger in the Commonwealth and strengthen relationships with Pennsylvania producers, like Garden of Health."

Clements was one of the speakers at Wednesday's event, which also included remarks by Cook, of the department of agriculture; Carol Bauer, founder and chief operating officer of Garden of Health Inc.; Deborah Zimmerman, of the Hatfield Township Board of Commissioners; and State Rep. Liz Hanbidge, D-61.

Cook said that PASS ensures that Pennsylvania farmers can share their excess harvest with residents in need, and at no cost to their operation.

"In return, these investments are strengthening the economy by supporting businesses and jobs associated with food harvest, transportation and processing," Cook said in a statement. "PASS is a great example of how strategic investments are facilitating charitable donation, feeding hungry Pennsylvanians, strengthening public-private partnerships and stimulating economic growth across the commonwealth."

Bauer, the Garden of Health founder, called PASS a "game changer," and said that the program has helped the organization cover the costs of growing and distributing its produce to more than 30 partners.

According to the Wolf administration, PASS has significant economic impact on the commonwealth, since for every $1 million invested into the program, there is more than $2 million in additional economic impact.

State officials report that since 2015, PASS investments have generated more than $39 million in economic input in Pennsylvania.

According to the Department of Agriculture, the Garden of Health Inc. Food Bank in Montgomery County is one of more than 175 farms that would benefit from Gov. Tom Wolf's proposed $4.5 million investment in PASS for the 2022-23 budget year, which represents an increase of $2 million.

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