This past week, our area had a visit from Gov. Josh Shapiro at the Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank to discuss his Administration’s work to boost Pennsylvania’s charitable food network — the SNAP Emergency Relief Fund — after the Trump Administration froze the November SNAP benefits for nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians and over 40 million Americans.
Gov. Shapiro and local state government officials were on hand for the press conference, but before that, there was a photo opportunity where officials boxed food.
If you just got back from the planet Mars and are not up on the news, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low-income individuals and families in the U.S., has been knotted up with the current budget mess in Washington.
Regardless of who’s at fault or who you support politically, you can’t discount that there are individuals and families that need help, and SNAP is one way of keeping food on the table for the less fortunate.
Now, before the naysayers get into the illegal immigrants taking advantage of the system, think twice. Households have to meet specific income and resource criteria.
There are a lot of elderly people struggling financially who benefit from SNAP. Don’t believe me? Look around your own neighborhood.
PA State Rep. Jim Haddock told a story of an elderly couple in his district who stopped by his office. The retired couple, on a fixed income, has had to make difficult decisions due to a setback with their water heater going down.
According to Haddock, the couple was hard workers in their youth and did not necessarily set the financial world on fire, so retirement has been tough at times.
Adding to the issue, the wife has dementia, and life is upside down. Apparently, the husband stopped by Haddock’s office to seek some kind of aid in getting his water heater replaced.
Does this couple need SNAP? You bet they do, and we, as Americans, don’t like to let people fall through the cracks.
I live in the Wyoming Area School District where our taxes have gone up over 15% in the last three-years and 80% since 2009, there are plenty of people on fixed incomes where their retirement pensions and Social Security didn’t go up 80% since 2009.
The federal SNAP program seems to be played as a bargaining chip or used to pressure a party into submission, all at the cost of people who could really need the SNAP benefits.
As I heard several times from the governor and area legislators while covering the press conference, we live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, and we are letting people go without food.
Gov. Shapiro asked the private sector for financial help with the SNAP Emergency Relief Fund. In fact, over $2 million poured in this past week alone from outside sources. The Commonwealth, so far, is kicking in $5-million in emergency funding.
Fortunately, $300,000 is going to the Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank, right here in our area. That should make a dent.
With that said, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders are having an Emergency Food Drive at PNC Field on Tuesday, Nov. 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you donate a bag of items, you will receive a ticket voucher for a 2026 regular-season RailRiders game.
They are looking for non-perishable food items, including but not limited to: canned fruits and vegetables, pasta, rice, canned protein, canned soup, instant coffee, and dried beans. Please refrain from donating items in glass containers.
Hopefully, soon, the two opposite political sides in the D.C. beltway will get their act together and agree on a budget.
Well, we seem to be turning the corner and autumn is trying very hard to hang around for a long as it can, but this week, we will be on the chilly side, again, I’m not ready.
What’s crazy, with Halloween well in our rearview mirror, everyone seems to be setting his or her sights on Thanksgiving.
Who will dine where? What food can I make for dinner? What time are we eating? These are the typical questions you hear starting about now. Get set.
For as fast as time flies from Halloween to Thanksgiving, don’t look now, but Christmas is in 47 days.
Almost in the same breath as Thanksgiving questions, Christmas questions follow. Are we buying for the family? Is there a spending limit per person? What do I get everyone? It’s crazy, but for many it’s fun, almost like a sport.
One of my go-to Christmas movies is White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. I imagine, as I get closer to Thanksgiving, I’ll be watching it a few times. I found the movie on the streaming service, Fawesome.
Speaking of Christmas, for the Greater Pittston Santa Squad, Christmas is pretty much all year round. Tony Marranca and his team of officers and board members must raise money throughout the year, and as we speak, they are busy at the former Seton Catholic gym filling Angel orders from children. Each child receives at least five toys.
Soon, the entire gym floor will be filled with red bags and dozens of bicycles, ready for pickup in December, in time for the big day.
Quote of the Week
“He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” —The Bible, Luke 3:11
Thought of the Week
“Hunger is not a problem. It is an obscenity. How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” —Anne Frank
Bumper Sticker
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” —Mother Teresa
