On a sweltering, almost 100- degree summer day, senior citizens lined up for hours across Allegheny County, hoping to secure food vouchers only to be turned away when distributing agencies ran out of stock. This year, every county in Pennsylvania, including Allegheny, received 25% fewer vouchers from the state Department of Agriculture due to federal funding...
On a sweltering, almost 100-degree summer day, senior citizens lined up for hours across Allegheny County, hoping to secure food vouchers only to be turned away when distributing agencies ran out of stock.
Distributed last Tuesday at 32 sites across Allegheny County, the vouchers are part of the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which offers low-income residents ages 60 and older access to fresh, locally grown produce.
This year, every county in Pennsylvania, including Allegheny, received 25% fewer vouchers from the state Department of Agriculture due to federal funding cuts. In addition, vouchers decreased in value from $50 to $25.
"Many older adults in Allegheny County are experiencing limited or uncertain access to adequate food," Dr. Shannah Tharp-Gilliam, Allegheny County director of Aging Services, said in a statement. "The reductions to the Farmers Market Program directly impact important supplemental nutrition to those who are most vulnerable."
The federal government has not given an explanation to the state for the fewer vouchers, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture press secretary Shannon Powers said.
Pennsylvania currently has received less than 39% of the funding that Congress had approved to distribute for the program and its recipients, said Ms. Powers.
This year, each senior agency received about 74% of the vouchers it requested. In Allegheny County, roughly 18,000 voucher sets were available for distribution this year, down from nearly 22,000 last year, according to the County Department of Human Services.
The reduction in Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers comes amid broader federal cuts to food assistance initiatives.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently withdrew more than $13 million in funding that would have supported the purchase of nearly 15 million pounds of locally grown food, impacting an estimated 3.2 million Pennsylvania households.
Earlier this month, Gov. Josh Shapiro filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the USDA's decision to end the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), which had invested in both local farmers and Pennsylvania's charitable food network.
Simultaneously, a federal legislative proposal backed by President Donald Trump, dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," includes $300 billion in proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Despite the decrease in vouchers, just nine out of 32 sites ran out of vouchers before the event ended, according to the County Department of Human Services. Over half of those locations were able to refer seniors to nearby sites that still had vouchers available. The other four sites handed out applications to around 200 seniors, who can submit them by mail to be added to a first-come, first-served waitlist.
"Our experience from the distribution and subsequent calls to our SeniorLine is that while eligible older adults are disappointed about the reduction in the number of vouchers, they are pleased to hear that vouchers are still available," Dr. Tharp-Gilliam said.
Dr. Tharp-Gilliam said there are still about 2,500 sets of vouchers remaining.
The deadline to return applications is Sept 15. Seniors who joined the waitlist, as well as those who couldn't attend the in-person distribution, are encouraged to submit their applications by mail for consideration.
A farmer's concern
CCR Market, a local family market garden farm in McKeesport, has been participating in the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program since 2018. The program has been 10 to 15% of their annual sales since.
"I think that our sales will be fine," said Kevin Resnik, co-owner of the farm. "What I'm more worried about is that the lower-income community that we serve is not going to have access to the nutritious, healthy, local food that we grow."
Aside from the decrease in vouchers distributed, the values of the vouchers also dropped from $50 to $25.
"I've heard from numerous people that say it's not worth my going and waiting in lines for multiple hours just to get a $25 voucher. When it was $50 that was a little bit more of a bang for their buck." Mr. Resnik said. "That's not even close to what people are spending on their produce, on a weekly basis, for people who are eating healthy."
According to Mr. Resnik, the strain on the number of vouchers already existed beforehand.
"Last year, we had numerous people inform us that they were in line and they got turned away from getting the vouchers," Mr. Resnik said.
CAPTION: PHOTO: CCR Gardens: CCR Gardens provides produce for Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. This year in Allegheny County, roughly 18,000 voucher sets were available for distribution this year, down from nearly 22,000 last year, according to the County Department of Human Services. PHOTO: CCR Gardens: Seniors shop for produce with food vouchers in 2024. This year, every county in Pennsylvania, including Allegheny, received 25% fewer vouchers from the state Department of Agriculture due to federal funding cuts. PHOTO: CCR Gardens: CCR Gardens provides produce for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. This year in Allegheny County, roughly 18,000 voucher sets were available for distribution this year, down from nearly 22,000 last year, according to the County Department of Human Services. PHOTO: CCR Gardens: Seniors shop for produce with food vouchers in 2024. This year, every county in Pennsylvania, including Allegheny, received 25% fewer vouchers from the state Department of Agriculture due to federal funding cuts. PHOTO: CCR Gardens: Seniors shop for produce with food vouchers in 2024. This year, every county in Pennsylvania, including Allegheny, received 25% fewer vouchers from the state Department of Agriculture due to federal funding cuts. PHOTO: CCR Gardens: CCR Gardens provides produce for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. This year in Allegheny County, roughly 18,000 voucher sets were available for distribution this year, down from nearly 22,000 last year, according to the County Department of Human Services.
CREDIT: By Thai Theodoro Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Copyright Pittsburgh Post - Gazette Jun 30, 2025