Brown calls for Hunger Task Force to help feed state
Amid SNAP cuts, rising prices, Brown looks for solutions
Philadelphia House Delegation September 25, 2025 | 1:59 PM
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 25 – Across Pennsylvania, more than 140,000 people are expected to lose access to SNAP due to federal action. At the same time, federal funds for food pantries and other services are also in jeopardy or have been cut, all at a time when food prices are on the rise and many families are struggling to make ends meet.
State Rep. Amen Brown has seen the struggle firsthand. Over the last several months he has met and heard from thousands of his neighbors who are struggling to put good, nutritious food on the table – primarily through his ‘Breezy World’ outreach efforts, which partners with local nonprofits and providers to provide free food each week at his district office in Philadelphia.
“I know how people are struggling, and I feel their pain deeply, because my family too struggled when I was younger,” said Brown, D-Phila. “That is one of the reasons why I am focused on this issue, and helping people in our community and commonwealth. Because an empty belly is a horrible feeling that no one should have to experience in our great nation.”
Now, with food insecurity on the rise, Brown is calling on his colleagues to support proposed legislation that would create the Pennsylvania Hunger Task Force, a bold initiative to tackle hunger head on and create an actionable response to the growing crisis in communities across the commonwealth.
“Too many of our neighbors, despite working hard and doing everything right, are still forced to choose between paying for rent, medicine or putting food on the table,” Brown said. “This is not the Pennsylvania we aspire to be, and together, we have the power to change it – if my colleagues will put aside their differences and support this legislation.”
Even before changes to SNAP, the Supplemental Food Assistance Program, an estimated 41% of people facing hunger in Pennsylvania did not qualify for food assistance programs, leaving families to fall through the cracks of the social safety net in rural, urban and suburban communities, Brown noted.
“When a child goes to school hungry, when a senior goes to bed without a meal, or when a parent skips dinner so their children can eat, we are all diminished,” Brown said. “By working together, we can create sustainable, equitable solutions that strengthen our communities, support working families, and build a healthier future for our commonwealth.”