Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus
01/20/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/20/2025 12:58
Pugh, Food Dignity Movement Help Citizens Affected by Skimming Scam
Jan. 20, 2025 / Press Release
HARRISBURG - Rep. Brenda Pugh (R-Luzerne) is teaming up with Food Dignity Movement and local businesses to help distribute food boxes to the victims of the recent SNAP skimming scam that is affecting the 120th Legislative District. The drive-through event is happening tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health Hospital in Kingston
SNAP, which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal program that helps low-income families buy nutritious food using Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. It was discovered earlier this month that the SNAP cards were compromised due to a skimming scam that drained the pre-loaded funds in the accounts.
"When our community is hurting, it is our neighborly duty to be there for one another, and I am grateful to our local businesses and organizations for stepping up and lending a hand," said Pugh. "Once I learned that individuals and families were caught up in this cowardly crime, I knew something had to be done to help."
Skimming is a type of fraud that involves stealing cardholder information to create fake cards and make unauthorized purchases. It can occur at ATMs, gas stations and point-of-sale (POS) terminals. The devices will capture card data, record PIN entries and ultimately take funds from the accounts of unsuspecting victims.
"Even through economic hardship, we must do our best to prioritize nutritional health and help families," said Clancy Harrison, registered dietician and founder of Food Dignity Movement, an organization whose mission is to address local and regional agriculture acceleration and food equity through economic nutrition sustainability. "I am proud to lend our support and help in any way we can to make sure people will have the resources they need to feed their families and not go hungry."
"This food distribution would not be possible without the generous support from Food Dignity Movement, Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health for providing the location for the event, McCarthy Tire for handling the logistics for transporting food from Midwest Food Bank, BluePrint Benefits for donating 300 packages of Nardone Pizza, and to Farmer Burger's Farm Market for providing winter produce. Though the circumstances leading up to an event like this are shameful and despicable, I am proud of our local businesses coming together, volunteering their time and resources to help their neighbors in need. It truly embodies the spirit of help in our community of the 120th," added Pugh.
Individuals receiving food are to enter from Sharpe Street behind the hospital.
The 120th Legislative District includes Courtdale, Exeter, Forty Fort, Kingston, Luzerne, Pringle, Swoyersville, West Wyoming and Wyoming boroughs, as well as Dallas, Exeter, Franklin, Jackson and Kingston townships in Luzerne County.
Representative Brenda Pugh
120th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Melissa Fox
717.260.6522
[email protected]
RepPugh.com / Facebook.com/RepBrendaPugh
SNAP, which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal program that helps low-income families buy nutritious food using Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. It was discovered earlier this month that the SNAP cards were compromised due to a skimming scam that drained the pre-loaded funds in the accounts.
"When our community is hurting, it is our neighborly duty to be there for one another, and I am grateful to our local businesses and organizations for stepping up and lending a hand," said Pugh. "Once I learned that individuals and families were caught up in this cowardly crime, I knew something had to be done to help."
Skimming is a type of fraud that involves stealing cardholder information to create fake cards and make unauthorized purchases. It can occur at ATMs, gas stations and point-of-sale (POS) terminals. The devices will capture card data, record PIN entries and ultimately take funds from the accounts of unsuspecting victims.
"Even through economic hardship, we must do our best to prioritize nutritional health and help families," said Clancy Harrison, registered dietician and founder of Food Dignity Movement, an organization whose mission is to address local and regional agriculture acceleration and food equity through economic nutrition sustainability. "I am proud to lend our support and help in any way we can to make sure people will have the resources they need to feed their families and not go hungry."
"This food distribution would not be possible without the generous support from Food Dignity Movement, Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health for providing the location for the event, McCarthy Tire for handling the logistics for transporting food from Midwest Food Bank, BluePrint Benefits for donating 300 packages of Nardone Pizza, and to Farmer Burger's Farm Market for providing winter produce. Though the circumstances leading up to an event like this are shameful and despicable, I am proud of our local businesses coming together, volunteering their time and resources to help their neighbors in need. It truly embodies the spirit of help in our community of the 120th," added Pugh.
Individuals receiving food are to enter from Sharpe Street behind the hospital.
The 120th Legislative District includes Courtdale, Exeter, Forty Fort, Kingston, Luzerne, Pringle, Swoyersville, West Wyoming and Wyoming boroughs, as well as Dallas, Exeter, Franklin, Jackson and Kingston townships in Luzerne County.
Representative Brenda Pugh
120th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Melissa Fox
717.260.6522
[email protected]
RepPugh.com / Facebook.com/RepBrendaPugh
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