Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Executive Director Joe Arthur shared remarks with Members of Congress from the U.S. House Agriculture Committee during the Pennsylvania Farm Show on January 13, 2023. The forum was hosted by newly elected chair of the Committee, Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) whose district overlaps the Food Bank’s service territory.
The Farm Bill is legislation that must be renewed every five years. While much of the law governs the agriculture industry, it also outlines our nation’s critical nutrition assistance programs. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and other food policy considerations are all part of the debate.
In addition to providing written testimony, Arthur delivered the following remarks:
Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Scott, and other Members of the Committee, thank you for the honor to present testimony for the 2023 Farm Bill.
Chairman Thompson, Representative Meuser, and Representative Evans, it is good to see each of you again in person to thank you for your tremendous service to Pennsylvania and to our nation.
I provided written testimony but would like to add a few remarks. In 2018 the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank hosted Farm Bill roundtable discussions with Chairman Thompson and then-U.S. Agriculture Secretary Perdue. None of us could have guessed then how a worldwide pandemic would put our food systems and nutrition assistance programs to the test.
I am proud that our Food Bank Team did not miss a single day of operations; We made sure nobody in central Pennsylvania went hungry. We depended on our community, but also government partnerships through the 116th and 117th US Congresses, the Trump administration and the Biden administration, and our Pennsylvania state, county, and local leaders. The pandemic tested the mettle of all of us; but we are still witnessing how many Americans are not able to afford basic needs such as food.
Whether in the midst of the pandemic or in the face of current trends of record inflation, programs like SNAP, WIC, TEFAP and others, are a lifeline for people to have access to healthy food and for food banks to strengthen their partnerships with local farms. These programs invest in the security of people in need and farmers when markets are disrupted and grocery bills are out of reach.
The pandemic and current pressures on the economy have been a proving ground for our nations farm and nutrition assistance programs. I hope you will consider the lessons we’ve learned in past 3 years. The 2023 Farm Bill is a chance to address the vulnerabilities that our current situation reveals and to codify pandemic reforms that really worked. We still face supply chain disruption, high inflation, geopolitical conflict, and climate change impacts. The Feeding America network is still seeing record high levels of need. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s distribution is up 20% in 2022 compared to 2019. The food crisis is not over, and I fear it may be deepening.
Thank you, Committee Members, for your critically important work on the US Farm Bill, and we stand ready to help the 118th US Congress enact the robust and responsive Farm Bill that our times require.