WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — During this crisis, some say more needs to be done to help the hungry In Pennsylvania as the number of people who need food stamps is expected to surge.
Right now, about 1.7 million Pennsylvanians use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called food stamps, but that number is rising.
"We are very worried about the increased risk that low-income people face in lots of different ways. Some of that is going to the grocery store, some of that is working at the grocery store, or being a bus driver or being a Lyft driver," said Ken Regal of Just Harvest.
Just Harvest is an organization focused on helping the hungry in the Keystone State.
The executive director said people who use SNAP cannot use their cards and have groceries delivered. A few states allow that, but not Pennsylvania.
"The availability of online purchasing with your food stamp benefit card is extremely limited. It's only available in a few states and with only a few retailers in those states, and so the different layers of this problem put an extreme additional burden on the 40 million or so people on food stamps," said Regal.
Those at Just Harvest said they are taking calls to help people apply for SNAP, and during this crisis, with so many out of work, those applications are coming in quickly.
"We're doing that remotely during the current emergency, and we have seen an enormous uptick in our normal level of handling those calls. It has spiked significantly over the past couple of weeks, and we're very concerned we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg."
Regal said he wants state lawmakers to OK using SNAP and grocery delivery services.
He said now, more than ever, people need to help one another.
"This is an opportunity for us all to see much more of what we have in common than what divides us."