Approximately 12 percent of Pennsylvania residents face food insecurity, meaning they have limited or uncertain access to food. In 2023, a team of CECD-affiliated researchers conducted a study to understand the challenges and barriers that the emergency food system faces in serving Pennsylvania residents. This series of briefs presents main findings from 120+ interviews with food banks, food pantries, and residents across Pennsylvania. Each brief connects findings to concrete policy and program recommendations to reduce food insecurity in Pennsylvania.
This summary report introduces the key themes that emerged from listening sessions and interviews about the experience of food insecurity among residents in Clairton, Duquesne, and McKeesport, PA. This project began in 2021 and is a collaboration between faculty, staff, and Extension educators from Penn State and local advocacy organizations including Take Action Advocacy Group, and, formerly, the Black Women’s Policy Center.
