Pittsburgh-area food banks worried about future as USDA pulls over $1 billion in funding
The cost of food is already rising, and with the USDA funding cuts, it'll create less access to fresh local food for schools and food banks, creating yet another challenge.
"When you cut this funding, you're putting people back into our lines to get food we're having to cut back on," said Jennifer Miller, Executive Director of the Westmoreland Food Bank.
An estimated $660 million for schools and another $500 million for food banks across the United States is set to be halted.
"One of two things is going to happen: we're not going to be able to provide eggs, maybe have to cut back on the amount of cheese we're giving, which is a wonderful dairy and protein item, and the possibility of no turkeys at Thanksgiving," Miller added.
Pennsylvania farmers and producers have supplied millions of pounds of food through this program, with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank purchasing over two million alone.
"That was really the dual purpose of the funding coming in, is to not only provide food to those who critically need it, but to support our local food economies," said Charla Irwin-Buncher, Chief External Affairs Officer with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
Community support remains vital as the local food banks feed hundreds of thousands of people in western Pennsylvania.
"We invited people to stay engaged with our work and advocacy is critically important during this time," Irwin-Buncher said.
The food bank anticipates funding to end on June 30, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Amid deep cuts, USDA spent thousands on 31-foot Trump banners
At a time when the U.S. Department of Agriculture was slashing aid to schools and food banks in the name of fiscal responsibility, newly confirmed Secretary Brooke Rollins elected to spend thousands of dollars to purchase massive banners of President Donald Trump, one of which now hangs outside her department's headquarters in Washington, DC, according to documents obtained by Salon. In May, visitors to the nation's capital noticed two, 31-foot additions to the USDA's building on Independence Avenue, ostensibly intended to mark its 163rd anniversary: a banner featuring President Abraham Lincoln, who signed the bill creating the department, and another featuring Trump, both featuring the tagline: 'Growing America Since 1862.' Rollins, who cofounded the America First Policy Institute with Education Secretary Linda McMahon, was confirmed as Agriculture secretary in a 72-28 vote this past February. In a post on X, she noted the installation of the banners, which was captured by a USDA staff photographer: '163 years after Lincoln founded @USDA, President Trump's bold vision is ushering in a Golden Age for our farmers.' The banners were printed and installed by a Maryland-based contractor, Timsco Graphics, at a cost of $16,400, per a work order that Salon received in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. While only two banners are presently hanging outside the USDA building, the order, signed by USDA procurement officer Holly Votruba, describes the contracted work as being for the hanging of '3 large banners on the Whitten Building in conjunction with the Secretary's priority.'In a previously issued statement, a department spokesperson said the banners were intended to mark historical occasions. 'USDA has much to remember in the coming months,' the spokesperson told the fact-checking website Snopes, citing the 163rd anniversary of the department's founding, Flag Day — which coincided with Trump's birthday and military parade — and July 4th. 'USDA is the only federal agency located on the National Mall. The banners on the building's facade observe these moments in American history and acknowledge the vision and leadership of USDA's founder, Abraham Lincoln, and the best advocate of America's farmers and ranchers, President Trump.' (Keith Prichard/LinkedIn) A LinkedIn post from Timsco Graphics CEO Keith Prichard shows a banner featuring President Donald Trump and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. Only two of the three banners purchased by USDA are publicly displayed, however. A third banner also featured Trump — and just behind his left shoulder, Rollins herself. That banner appears to have been the one originally slated to go up alongside Lincoln, per a May 13 LinkedIn post from Timsco Graphics CEO Keith Prichard. 'Timsco Graphics crew working late tonight getting it done! Second banner going up soon!' Prichard wrote. His post was accompanied by three photos: one of the Lincoln banner, already hanging; a broader shot of the Whitten Building, with the annotation 'one more' and an outline of where the second banner would be placed; and a third showing the Lincoln banner and the Trump-Rollins banner beside each other on the floor of a warehouse. It is not clear why that banner was not installed, nor where it is today. USDA did not respond to requests for comment. The post Amid deep cuts, USDA spent thousands on 31-foot Trump banners appeared first on
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Republican Bragging About Tipping Scolded for Tiny Tip
Iowa congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks has gone viral for sharing a photo of her tiny tip on a meal, while praising the impact of Trump's new No Tax on Tips legislation. The 69-year-old Republican shared a photo from a Monday meal at Iowa's Sundown Bar and Grill in an X post on Tuesday, which has had over 6 million views. 'I got to celebrate No Tax on Tips with our wonderful server, she's thrilled about this provision and excited to keep more of what she earns!,' Miller-Meeks wrote. The photos include not only her lunch of a Philly steak sandwich and corn nuggets, but her receipt, which appears to show the congresswoman tipping $3 and small change on an $18 bill. A 20-percent tip on the bill would have been $3.40. She had also hand-written, 'No tax on tips!' on the bill. Comments on Miller-Meeks' post debated whether $3 for the server was an appropriate tip for the meal, especially considering the wage of a member of Congress, which totals $174,000. A spokesperson for her office, Anthony Fakhoury, told Iowa's News Now that Miller-Meeks tipped more than $3. 'The Congresswoman left a 20% tip, and unlike Democrats, she did not vote to increase taxes on hardworking Iowans. No Tax on Tips means more money in the pockets of servers, not the IRS,' Fakhoury said. The Daily Beast has contacted Miller-Meeks' office and the Sundown Bar and grill for further comment. The venue's website states, 'Our staff is always friendly, and our beer is always cold. You'll enjoy great food and great company at the Sundown Bar and Grill.' Miller-Meeks had stopped for lunch during a "Made in America" manufacturing tour, where she visited Iowa manufacturers promoting their American-made production. She said Trump's bill had offered workforce training, tax breaks and incentives for investment. 'One of the criticisms of the reconciliation bill was that it would not spur economic growth. And what I hear when I visit businesses large and small is exactly the opposite,' Miller-Meeks said on Tuesday. Congress passed Trump's No Tax on Tips provision last month, as part of his One Big Beautiful Bill. It aims to put more cash in the pockets of workers, who will be able to deduct $25,000 in tips each year from their taxable income. Tips will be federally taxed beyond that figure. Critics of the provision state that low-wage workers already may pay minimal income tax, so the exemption could favor those who earn higher tips. The viral post comes as Democratic candidate Christina Bohannan, who was only beaten by within 1,000 votes last year, has claimed she will try for a third time to beat Miller-Meeks in the 2026 midterms, where Democrats are focused on Iowa to take control of the House. She accused Miller-Meeks of putting 'partisan politics over Iowans.' Last month, Bohannan said 'From cutting Medicaid, to siding with DOGE's devastating cuts to Social Security, to enabling unelected, unaccountable billionaires like Elon Musk-Miller-Meeks has forgotten about us,' Bohannan said. 'It's time someone put Iowa first.'
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Republican Congresswoman Slammed for Tipping $3 in Post Bragging About Tips
Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks has gone viral for sharing a photo of her tiny tip on a meal, while praising the impact of Trump's new No Tax on Tips legislation. The 69-year-old Republican shared a photo from a Monday meal at Iowa's Sundown Bar and Grill in an X post on Tuesday, which has had over 6 million views. 'I got to celebrate No Tax on Tips with our wonderful server, she's thrilled about this provision and excited to keep more of what she earns!,' Miller-Meeks wrote. The photos include not only her lunch of a Philly steak sandwich and corn nuggets, but her receipt, which appears to show the congresswoman tipping $3 and small change on an $18 bill. A 20-percent tip on the bill would have been $3.40. She had also hand-written, 'No tax on tips!' on the bill. Comments on Miller-Meeks' post debated whether $3 for the server was an appropriate tip for the meal, especially considering the wage of a member of Congress, which totals $174,000. A spokesperson for her office, Anthony Fakhoury, told Iowa's News Now that Miller-Meeks tipped more than $3. 'The Congresswoman left a 20% tip, and unlike Democrats, she did not vote to increase taxes on hardworking Iowans. No Tax on Tips means more money in the pockets of servers, not the IRS,' Fakhoury said. The Daily Beast has contacted Miller-Meeks' office and the Sundown Bar and grill for further comment. The venue's website states, 'Our staff is always friendly, and our beer is always cold. You'll enjoy great food and great company at the Sundown Bar and Grill.' Miller-Meeks had stopped for lunch during a "Made in America" manufacturing tour, where she visited Iowa manufacturers promoting their American-made production. She said Trump's bill had offered workforce training, tax breaks and incentives for investment. 'One of the criticisms of the reconciliation bill was that it would not spur economic growth. And what I hear when I visit businesses large and small is exactly the opposite,' Miller-Meeks said on Tuesday. Congress passed Trump's No Tax on Tips provision last month, as part of his One Big Beautiful Bill. It aims to put more cash in the pockets of workers, who will be able to deduct $25,000 in tips each year from their taxable income. Tips will be federally taxed beyond that figure. Critics of the provision state that low-wage workers already may pay minimal income tax, so the exemption could favor those who earn higher tips. The viral post comes as Democratic candidate Christina Bohannan, who was only beaten by within 1,000 votes last year, has claimed she will try to beat Miller-Meeks a third time in the 2026 midterms, where Democrats are focused on Iowa to take control of the House. She accused Miller-Meeks of putting 'partisan politics over Iowans.' Last month, Bohannan said 'From cutting Medicaid, to siding with DOGE's devastating cuts to Social Security, to enabling unelected, unaccountable billionaires like Elon Musk-Miller-Meeks has forgotten about us,' Bohannan said. 'It's time someone put Iowa first.'
