Social services providers in Lancaster County, including the United Way of Lancaster County and the Lancaster County Food Hub, are seeing a surge in demand as federal and state budgets battles threaten the resources people depend on.
The need for food is especially dire, as Pennsylvania’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are expected to run dry this Saturday. SNAP provides monthly funding for low-income people to buy groceries.
As of September, 55,000 people in Lancaster County, or about 1 in 10 residents, were enrolled in the SNAP program, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Providers say people are growing more fearful every day about being able to feed their families.
