Nicolino “Lino” Ellis, executive director of the Jenkintown Food Cupboard, was featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s coverage of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cuts.

According to Pennsylvania Department of Human Services estimates, around 45,000 SNAP recipients in Philadelphia, and an additional 12,000 in collar counties, could see benefits cut this year. According to Stuart Haniff, CEO of the nonprofit Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, need in Philadelphia increased 140% over the last two years.

Ellis told The Inquirer that “anxiety about what will happen is growing,” and that “bellies are already aching from hunger. Life is already crumbling today.”

New SNAP requirements kicked in on February 9. Applicants and current recipients must now provide proof of shelter costs and utility responsibility at application and renewal if that information is not already on file with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS). Households that move must also submit updated documents.

In August, a PA.gov notice stated that SNAP will see qualification changes beginning September 1. Those changes included recipients working, volunteering, or training 80 hours per month to be eligible. 

In December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees SNAP, said it is working on a major overhaul to root out waste, fraud, and abuse.

For more on SNAP benefits in Pennsylvania, you can click here.

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