Montco Donates $500,000 To Food Banks Amid 'Crisis' In Food Security

NORRISTOWN, PA — Montgomery County donated $500,000 to area food pantries Tuesday as part of a concerted effort to address rising food insecurity throughout the region.

Officials said they're seeing the highest rate of this century of county residents using SNAP food benefits. Some 52 percent of food pantries in the county were unable to provide food to everyone who visited in the past year.

“This investment is a reflection of the Board of Commissioners’ commitment to making sure families in Montgomery County have their basic needs met," Montgomery County Commissioner Jamila Winder said in a statement. "Food insecurity remains one of our County’s most pressing issues, highlighting the need for bold investments like this that balance wealth inequality by supporting our families in need."

Food pantry visits, meanwhile, have risen 60 percent in the past year.

The donation will go to pantries within the Montco Anti-Hunger Network, which was founded in 2014 to improve the food safety net in the county. It includes 71 food pantries and free meal providers.

"In the face of crisis, we need leadership," said Shannon Isaacs, executive director of the Network. "We are so grateful for the Commissioner's visionary leadership in providing this emergency food purchasing grant to pantries and free meal providers."

The massive donation was made along with the formation of the county's Food Policy Council, which aims to create an equitable and sustainable food system in the area.