Funding will be used for a series of projects aimed to reduce hunger by 2% in Greater Johnstown
By RICK KAZMER
United Way of the Laurel Highlands
The United Way of the Laurel Highlands is part of a group of organizations leveraging a portion of $10 million in federal funding to help feed people in the Laurel Highlands.
The United States Department of Agriculture has released details on the funding program, made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act.
The program is intended to "bolster USDA's food and nutrition security efforts by promoting the self-reliance of communities in providing for the unique food needs of their community members," according to the agency.
United Way is receiving a grant totaling more than $280,000 for a variety of projects toward that goal. Collaborators in the work include the 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health, the 1889 Foundation, The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy, Flood City Youth Fitness Academy, Cambria County Backpack Project, Trinity Farms Center for Healing, Benshoff Farms, St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank and Vision Together 2025.
Each project meets a food security initiative that is important to the USDA and the local organizations involved, including increasing access to local, healthy foods; expanding the capacity of the Local Foods, Local Places program; food-related education for low-income residents; among others.
“This Community Food Projects grant through the USDA National Institute for Agriculture is opportunity to strengthen food security through a systems-based approach to sourcing, growing, storing and educating people about food. It’s an ambitious plan to reduce hunger by 2% in the Greater Johnstown region,” Karen Struble Myers, United Way of the Laurel Highlands president and CEO, said.
Late this summer the United Way worked with some of the organizations noted above to pilot SNAP at the Market, which made Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly called food stamps) benefits useable at the Downtown Johnstown Farmers Market. The result was nearly $10,000 in benefits spent on fresh, local produce by about 30 families each week.
In the state, more than 1.1 million people face hunger and nearly 350,000 of them are children, according to statistics provided by the USDA through Feeding America.
"The childhood food insecurity rate in Cambria County is nearly 3% higher than the national average at 19%. We’re taking a holistic approach to addressing that need,” Struble Myers said.
As part of the grant project, results will regularly be reported out and a plan for self-sustainability has been developed.
"Community food projects are already making a tremendous impact throughout the nation by increasing access and consumption of nutritious local foods, enhancing workforce development and supporting entrepreneurship, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture acting Director Dionne Toombs said. "This funding will allow (the institute) to support even more community food projects that will meet specific state, tribal, insular and local neighborhood food and agricultural needs for infrastructure improvement and development."