Latest news with #FoodJustice
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Just Harvest helps to make fresh, farmers' market food accessible
Rain or shine, it's farmers market time, around Western Pennsylvania. So, at PPG Plaza, customers are lining up to buy fresh food locally. This farmer's market is special, though, with the non-profit Just Harvest making fresh fruits, vegetables, and more accessible to all. "This year's very exciting because, along with our Food Bucks program, which provides shoppers additional money to get fruits and veggies, we also have a full SNAP match at select markets," said Just Harvest Communications Coordinator, Katherine Taylor. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. People apply and qualify for the federal food assistance. Taylor said this is the first year they're matching SNAP funds, dollar for dollar, at eight of the fifteen markets, thanks in part to the city's Food Justice Fund. "It's going to be a great opportunity for shoppers to be able to access more fruits and veggies and healthy food around the city," said Taylor. The Fresh Access program started in 2013, and it allows Just Harvest to bring tents to the farmers' markets. In turn, that gives the community the chance to transfer benefits into tokens, which are accepted by vendors at the market for their food. "People are so excited to hear that they can extend their shopping money further, just by shopping at a farmers market that is local to their neighborhood," said Just Harvest Fresh Access Program Manager, Amanda Sloane. The Fresh Access program is just one of many programs this non-profit provides. Program managers said, Just Harvest makes this possible, by holding a Snap Retailer License. It's a win-win for both sellers and buyers. "Oh, the farmer's markets are a great place to be for the customer and the vendor," Liz Calabro is with Mediterra Bakehouse Market, one of the vendors at the PPG Market, said. "The product representation. The customer gets fresh local products. It's the place to be." Gregory Manley is a Pittsburgh native who works at the farmer's market for the Jose Quiroz Farm. "We get whole buckets full of tokens at the end of our market on Fridays when people are shopping for the weekend, so it's a great benefit for us and hopefully for the shoppers as well," Manley said. They bring as many fruits as possible and vegetables to the market each week. As with many nonprofits, Just Harvest is working to keep its efforts going, hoping to help our neighbors for years to come. "Protecting benefits like SNAP right now is a really crucial time," Taylor said. "So, reach out to us. Get involved, and we'd love to work with anyone." The non-profit also helps people with applying for SNAP, Medicaid, and other benefits programs. Just Harvest also offers a free tax prep program, and the non-profit does policy advocacy work. They are always looking for volunteers. For more information on Just Harvest and how to get involved, go to their website at this link.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USPS signs agreement with DOGE, agrees to cut 10,000 workers: ‘Broken business model'
U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy informed members of Congress on Thursday he has signed an agreement with the General Services Administration and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to cut 10,000 workers and billions of dollars from the U.S. Postal Service budget. In a letter to Congress, DeJoy lamented that the Postal Service has a "broken business model that was not financially sustainable without critically necessary and core change." "Fixing a broken organization that had experienced close to $100 billion in losses and was projected to lose another $200 billion, without a bankruptcy proceeding, is a daunting task," DeJoy wrote. "Fixing a heavily legislated and overly regulated organization as massive, important, cherished, misunderstood and debated as the United States Postal Service, with such a broken business model, is even more difficult." DOGE will assist USPS with addressing "big problems" at the $78 billion-a-year agency, which has sometimes struggled in recent years to stay afloat. The agreement aims to help the Postal Service identify and achieve "further efficiencies." Doge Says 239 Contracts Canceled Over 2 Days, Including A Grant To Teach Trans Farmers About 'Food Justice' USPS listed such issues as mismanagement of the agency's retirement assets and Workers' Compensation Program, as well as an array of regulatory requirements that the letter described as "restricting normal business practice." Read On The Fox News App "This is an effort aligned with our efforts, as while we have accomplished a great deal, there is much more to be done," DeJoy wrote. House Dem Goes On Screaming Rant Against Elon Musk, Doge: 'Shame!' Critics of the agreement fear negative effects of the cuts will be felt across America. Democratic U.S. Rep. Gerald Connolly, of Virginia, who was sent the letter, said turning over the Postal Service to DOGE would result in it being undermined and privatized. "The only thing worse for the Postal Service than DeJoy's 'Delivering for America' plan is turning the service over to Elon Musk and DOGE so they can undermine it, privatize it, and then profit off Americans' loss," Connolly said in a statement. He added: "This capitulation will have catastrophic consequences for all Americans – especially those in rural and hard to reach areas – who rely on the Postal Service every day to deliver mail, medications, ballots, and more. Reliable mail delivery can't just be reserved for MAGA supporters and Tesla owners." Doge And Agencies Cancel 200,000 Federal Credit Cards The National Association of Letter Carriers President Brian L. Renfroe said in a statement in response to Thursday's letter that they welcome anyone's help with addressing some of the agency's biggest problems but stood firmly against any move to privatize the Postal Service. "Common sense solutions are what the Postal Service needs, not privatization efforts that will threaten 640,000 postal employees' jobs, 7.9 million jobs tied to our work, and the universal service every American relies on daily," he said. USPS currently employs about 640,000 workers tasked with making deliveries from inner cities to rural areas and even far-flung islands. The service plans to cut 10,000 employees in the next 30 days through a voluntary early retirement program, according to the letter. The agency previously announced plans to cut its operating costs by more than $3.5 billion annually. And this isn't the first time thousands of employees have been cut. In 2021, the agency cut 30,000 workers. As the service that has operated as an independent entity since 1970 has struggled to balance the books with the decline of first-class mail, it has fought calls from President Donald Trump and others that it be privatized. Last month, Trump said he may put USPS under the control of the Commerce Department in what would be an executive branch article source: USPS signs agreement with DOGE, agrees to cut 10,000 workers: 'Broken business model'
