Programs & Services

Lasagna Love is a nationwide grassroots movement that aims to positively impact communities by connecting neighbors with neighbors through homemade meal delivery. We also seek to eliminate stigmas associated with asking for help—especially from moms— when it is needed most.

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Visit their website for more information - https://lasagnalove.org/about-us/

Pennsylvanians who are behind on rental payments or are having trouble paying upcoming rent and landlords with tenants should apply for assistance available through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). Last week, a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia that struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) nationwide moratorium on evictions established in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The ruling is on hold as the United States Department of Justice appeals, but residential renters and landlords should not wait to pursue this critical, stabilizing assistance. 
 

Households may be eligible for up to 12 months of assistance to cover past-due or future rental and/or utility payments. The amount of a household’s monthly rent or utility bills does not preclude eligibility, but the amount of ERAP assistance provided to a household is determined by program administrators at the county level. Assistance can be provided to a tenant for future rental payments, and for unpaid rental or utility arrears that were accrued on or after March 13, 2020 on a residential rental property. Counties may choose to provide additional assistance to eligible households if funds remain available.

For more information on ERAP and to apply online or via paper application, visit www.dhs.pa.gov/erap. 

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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 12 percent of the U.S. population has limited access to nutritious food. Hunger can impact your health and wellbeing throughout your life, work performance, and the rate that children learn and grow. It is imperative that we reduce hunger and promote good health by ensuring that Pennsylvanians are able to access to fresh, healthy food as well as health and nutrition information and education.

In recognition of National Hunger Awareness Month in June, the Department of Human Services is highlighting some of the food and nutrition programs available for children, adults, and seniors in Pennsylvania. Check out some of the programs available below.

FIND A FOOD PANTRY NEAR YOU

GENERAL RESOURCES

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 
  SNAP helps Pennsylvanians by providing money each month that can only be spent on groceries, helping households have resources to purchase enough food for their household.
   

• Farmers Market Nutrition Programs 
  The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) provide WIC recipients and low-income seniors with fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs from approved farmers' in Pennsylvania.

WOMEN & CHILDREN

• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program
  for Woman, Infants and Children
  WIC helps pregnant women, mothers and caregivers of infants and young children learn about good nutrition to keep themselves and their families healthy. It provides nutrition services, breastfeeding support, health care and social service referrals and healthy foods to eligible participants.
   

• School Nutrition Programs  |  Find Meals for Kids near you!
  Free school meals (breakfast/lunch) are available for children from families receiving food stamp benefits or TANF, and children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level. Reduced price school meals are available for children from families whose incomes are between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level.
   

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
  Also referred to as cash assistance, TANF provides cash assistance to pregnant women and dependent children and their parents or relatives who live with and care for them.

OLDER PENNSYLVANIANS

• Senior Food Box Program
  The Senior Food Box Program works to improve the health of low-income seniors by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA Foods. In Pennsylvania, eligible participants include low-income individuals who are at least 60 years old and whose household income is at or below 130 percent of the U.S. poverty level.
   

• Congregate and Home-Delivered Meals  
  Contact your local Area Agency on Aging
  These programs provide nutritious meals to individuals age 60 or older, and their spouses, free of charge. Meals can be delivered directly to eligible individuals' homes.

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The EBB, which is administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is a temporary program that provides a discount of up to $50 per month off a qualifying household’s internet bill and associated equipment rental. Additionally, eligible households can receive a one-time discount of up to $100 towards a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer, provided that the household contributes more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price. The EBB is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household, and the discount will be provided by the FCC directly to the service provider.

 

“The past year has shown us just how essential internet access is in order to connect with our loved ones, our workplaces and schools, and even to basic needs like telehealth and grocery delivery. We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for many to keep up with bills and expenses, so we are glad that the FCC is providing this benefit to people who need it,” said Acting DHS Secretary Meg Snead. “Assistance programs like this exist to help get you through tough times. I encourage anybody who has struggled to pay their internet bills to apply for this benefit.”

 

A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:

• Receives benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, or did so in the 2019-2020 school year;

• Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;

• Experienced a substantial loss of income since February 29, 2020, and the household had a total income in 2020 below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers;

• Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating internet provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program; or,

• Qualifies for the FCC’s Lifeline program.

  • Households qualify for the federal Lifeline program if their income is less than 135% of the federal poverty guidelines or if they or their child participate in programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA), or other federal programs. Eligible participants can receive Lifeline and EBB at the same time.

  • DHS has partnered with the FCC to provide a real time data exchange that verifies whether an individual is already receiving SNAP, Medicaid or SSI so that individuals receiving these programs will be able to more easily qualify for this new benefit as well as Lifeline.

“Strong, reliable access to the internet is a necessity for workers because today’s job search and hiring process is conducted almost exclusively online,” said L&I Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier. “The Emergency Broadband Benefit will help struggling Pennsylvanians apply for jobs, communicate with hiring managers, and engage in online training programs that will help lift them out of poverty.”

 

“Access to the internet could be considered a school supply; a critical resource that supports learning beyond classroom walls,” said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. “The Emergency Broadband Benefit serves as another means to bridge the digital divide and create digital equity for students and families across the state.”

 

Applications for this program open today and will end once the funds are exhausted or six months after the federal Department of Health and Human Services declares the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Service providers will be required to give notice on the last date when the EBB program will end. 

 

To apply for the EBB program, contact your participating broadband service provider, or visit getemergencybroadband.org to apply online or print a paper application to mail in.

 

More information on the EBB can be found here.  For more information on other public assistance programs, visit www.dhs.pa.gov.