PITTSBURGH, November 12, 2025 – The Heinz Endowments has awarded $1.1 million in grants to provide emergency food assistance to southwestern Pennsylvania residents experiencing urgent needs because their benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have been delayed during the government shutdown. The foundation provided three local organizations with funds for groups that have been on the frontlines of the food crisis affecting vulnerable individuals and families across the region.
“At a time when so many people are facing economic hardships and uncertainty, adding the threat of increased hunger to their problems is unconscionable,” said Endowments President Chris DeCardy. “The Endowments along with other foundations, businesses and thousands of neighbors in our community are trying to fill at least some of the enormous gap in support of residents unfairly plunged into need by federal inaction. We are working with trusted grantee partners to get food assistance funds to residents in the region as quickly as possible to help alleviate some of the distress.”
The Endowments grants include $550,000 to the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania that was distributed to four rural food banks in Armstrong, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties and 38 community food pantries and other agencies in Allegheny County. Another $500,000 has been allocated to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank for 30 school pantries and partner agencies. Achieva Family Trust, which serves individuals with disabilities and their families, was given $50,000 for emergency grocery assistance to those the organization supports.
“Because United Way has deep relationships with hundreds of partners across our region, we understand community needs and are able to act decisively and strategically to support the agencies best equipped to put food on tables,” said Bobbi Watt Geer, president and CEO of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. “We greatly appreciate our partnership with The Heinz Endowments and this timely grant to help us alleviate stress and suffering. No one should have to worry about a Thanksgiving without enough food or choosing between utilities and groceries.”
Lisa Scales, president and CEO of Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, described the Endowments support as “a critical boost that will ensure local food pantries have more food to help neighbors through this time.”
“When benefits lapsed, the food bank and our network immediately responded to try and fill the gap. For every one meal we can provide, SNAP provides nine,” she said. “We’re doing all we can, but the need has been overwhelming. The significant support from The Heinz Endowments will be instrumental in assisting families through the SNAP disruption and the tight times ahead with high grocery prices and stretched household budgets remaining a top concern for neighbors we serve.”
According to the food bank, about 340,000 people in the 11-county southwestern Pennsylvania rely on SNAP benefits including 161,000 in Allegheny County. Federal statistics show that monthly benefits average about $187 per individual, $332 per household and $574 for a household with children.
“Total SNAP benefits into our region are roughly $50 million every month. Despite the combined efforts of so many to support our neighbors so far in November, it’s simply not possible to fully fill a gap of $1.7 million every single day,” DeCardy said. “This means that as of today, residents of our region have missed more than $20 million in food on their tables since SNAP benefits ended Nov. 1. No amount of restored benefits in the future will make up for missing food on plates during these days.”
“Our systems are broken, failing to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to live healthy, sustainable lives. That’s why beyond making emergency grants, the Endowments works for long-term, durable improvements in our region’s food systems, workforce development and community economic development to benefits all of us.”
Although the U.S. Senate passed legislation Monday to end the government shutdown, the actual status of benefits through the country’s largest anti-hunger initiative remains fluid after the various twists and turns of court orders and the Trump administration’s actions to reduce or continue suspension of SNAP funds. The Senate measure needs the approval of the U.S. House and the president before full SNAP funding can be released. When that process could begin in still unknown.
The three organizations receiving emergency funding from the Endowments all provide support for individuals who had been facing challenges before the shutdown exacerbated their difficulties. The food bank had established the “Feeding through the Gap” program in response to the rise in food insecurity caused by federal and state funding cuts and the Pennsylvania budget impasse as well as the federal government shutdown and delays in SNAP benefits. According to the organization, this combination of factors created crises for families, children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities who were being forced to choose between food, housing and medicine. Federal cuts had reduced the food bank’s annual food supply by 13%, sharply limiting the inventory of free food available for partner agencies. The organization’s loss of U.S. Department of Agriculture programs eliminated 6 million pounds of fresh food annually for the Pittsburgh region. Meanwhile SNAP delays threaten access to free or reduced-price school meals for the children who needed them.
The Endowments’ support is helping the food bank provide funds to partner agencies, including 30 school pantries, so they can order wholesale food from the food bank’s inventory at no cost, covering both food and delivery fees. The grant will support child nutrition partnerships and will bolster the food bank’s ability to purchase and source donated fresh produce, dairy, meat and non-meat protein, replacing lost federal resources and ensuring families receive healthy, high-quality food.
Achieva has launched an emergency food assistance initiative because dietary requirements for people with disabilities are often specific and medically necessary, meaning that even short-term disruption in access to groceries can jeopardize health, well-being, and stability. The Endowments grant is being used for the group’s direct grocery assistance, which will be based on demonstrated need and will be tailored to the household size and dietary requirements of the person receiving support. Funds are being distributed in the form of gift cards to local grocery stores in the neighborhoods where people live, ensuring both convenience and autonomy in food purchasing. This also allows people to select food that meets specific dietary, cultural, and medical needs, preserving dignity while maintaining health.
“Because of The Heinz Endowments’ immediate action, Achieva staff were able to quickly purchase and distribute grocery gift cards after receiving the grant. Families who feared they would go hungry now have the food they need,” said Achieva President and CEO Stephen H. Suroviec. “This grant wasn’t just about food — it was about hope. The Endowments’ swift response ensured that people with disabilities in our community could meet their most basic needs with dignity and know that others truly value them.”
The Endowments is partnering with the United Way to distribute rapid response grants to agencies that have needed to immediately scale up efforts to meet a surge in demand. These pantries, food banks and other organizations are deeply embedded in their communities and play a vital role in combating hunger, improving access to nutritious food and strengthening local food infrastructure. By channeling resources directly to organizations already doing impactful work on the ground, this additional support will help ensure a swift and effective response to the growing food insecurity crisis. The funding also will assist in expanding access to nutritious food, stabilize vulnerable households, and build more resilient and equitable food systems across the region.
“Our partners are overwhelmed with the need for food assistance,” said Sally Ellwein, the regional United Way’s chief program and policy officer. “The uncertainty about if and when benefits will arrive is causing enormous stress and anxiety on top of the strain already caused by inflation. We are hopeful that these grants will reduce some of that stress.”
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