by Danielle Smith, Keystone State News Connection
Tuesday marks the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Economic Opportunity Act. Enacted in the 1960s as part of the national “war on poverty,” the bill has had a major impact in Pennsylvania and across the country, and much work remains to be done.
The law created a network of Community Action Agencies in the country.
Beck Moore, CEO of the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania, said his organization supports 43 facilities in 67 counties and uses innovative methods to help people out of poverty.
“Overall, Community Action helped over 475,000 people last year alone,” Moore emphasized. “If you put that in context, there are about 1.2 million people in our state living at or below the federal poverty line. So overall, we’ve helped a significant number of those people.”
Moore’s organization coordinates the block funding the agencies receive. It also works with other state nonprofits and the Department of Community and Economic Development to expand their reach.
Megan Shreve, executive director of South Central Community Action Programs, which serves Adams and Franklin counties, said they are also working with partners to identify local needs and provide appropriate programs and services, from food distributions and shelters to housing and rental assistance for families.
“We serve about 17,000 people in our counties and we do that in a variety of ways,” Shreve explained. “We run the WIC program for women, infants and children, we do weatherization, and we run the Early Learning Resource Centers, which provide grants, resources and referrals for child care.”
They also run a ‘gleaning project’ which matches farmers with volunteers who harvest surplus produce and distribute it to those in need – last year alone they raised more than a million pounds.
Denise Harlow, CEO of the National Community Action Partnership, which is marking the 60th anniversary of the Economic Opportunity Act. She noted that every community has different needs and resources and that agencies have had to adapt and realign over time to meet them.
“Community action in 1964 is not the same network as it is today in 2024. No system is,” Harlow stressed. “We know that Head Start, for example, offers really good returns on investment. Foster grandparent programs have benefits, both for the children and the adults and for the communities that benefit from them.”
According to the most recent Census Bureau data from 2022, the national poverty rate is 11.5%, representing more than 37 million people.
