Two Bucks County non-profits will be receiving grants to fight hunger by the Tom Wolf Administration on Thursday. 

The Bucks County Opportunity Council $68,341 and New Hope based Rolling Harvest Food Rescue awarded $121,500 in  grant funding to support their community efforts it was announced by officials. 

The funds cone from a total of $9 million ear marked from the expanded Food Recovery Infrastructure grant program announced in April.

“Many people across the state are feeling the strain of losing jobs or other income related to the COVID-19 crisis, and this will help provide a safety net to ensure that our fellow Pennsylvanians are not going hungry,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “This program also helps ensure that our farmers are not in a position where they have to waste the food and dairy products grown on their farms because of market upheavals.”

The grant money will be used to cover the costs of equipment purchases necessary to prepare, transport and store food acquired from retailers, wholesalers, farms, processors and cooperatives. Examples of eligible equipment that will be funded include refrigerated or non-refrigerated box trucks, industrial-sized refrigerators, pallet jacks and/or dollies. Installation and shipping costs were also eligible for support, State Reps. Wendy Ullman, and John Galloway, said in a joint release. 

145 programs were awarded grants throughout the state, which included food banks, food pantries, and churches. 

In May local food banks have reported a demand increase of 55 percent over what they were seeing the same time last year. 

Funding for the grant was made available for Pennsylvania nonprofit organizations for grant assistance for the proper management and operation of food waste reduction pursuant to the Pennsylvania Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act of 1988, Act 101.