The Day of Mourning was marked with small ceremonies in Elliot Lake and Espanola.
The Domtar union leaders met outside in their commemorative garden on Wednesday, April 28
th, 2021 including presidents IBEW 956 Todd Tessier, Unifor Local 156 Dean Houle, Unifor Local 74 Joanne Lamothe and HR manager Teresa Miller.
Speaking on their behalf, Unifor Local 74 president, Joanne Lamothe, says it has been a mentally exhausting year due to COVID-19 and the staggering number of workers who have lost their lives, not only to the disease, but in the workplace.
Closer to home, she says workers acknowledge the loss of three electrical personnel with IBEW Local 956, a local member of Unifor Local 156 and several members of her union to occupational disease including mesothelioma and asbestos.
Wolf Administration Highlights Life-Sustaining Food Assistance Programs Under Disaster Emergency Declaration
04/28/2021
Harrisburg, PA - The departments of Agriculture and Human Services (DHS) today discussed the Wolf Administration’s efforts to support Pennsylvania’s charitable food network and food assistance programs so that no Pennsylvanians are going hungry throughout the COVID-19 public health crisis, thanks to the disaster declarations issued by Governor Tom Wolf.
Pennsylvania’s disaster declaration authority has allowed the administration to leverage more than $1 billion in additional, federally funded food assistance as well as other resources and regulatory flexibilities necessary to rise to the challenges many Pennsylvanians continue to experience.
The Department of Human Services is partnering with partnering with northeastern Pennsylvania county officials to promote that can help residents facing eviction or loss of utilities.
On Thursday, DHS Secretary Teresa Miller was joined by a panel representing organizations and government offices across Lackawanna, Pike, Luzerne, Wyoming and Susquehanna counties to discuss the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which launched in March with a mission to combat severe financial setbacks and housing crises due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Miller noted that while the pandemic has adversely affected just about everyone, those that fall at or near the poverty line in Pennsylvania have been adversely impacted. Of particular interest are communities of color, which have seen higher rates of infection, serious illness, death, and economic impacts that include difficulty paying rent and keeping up to date on utilities.
Dauphin County resident awarded Blue-Ribbon Champion for Safe Kids award
Updated 9:09 PM;
Today 9:09 PM
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Pa Family Support Alliance, the state’s leader in child abuse prevention, has awarded Casey Stokes-Rodriguez with the Blue-Ribbon Champion for Safe Kids award. This award is given to five Pennsylvanians who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support and protect Pennsylvania’s children.
Stokes-Rodriguez serves as a licensed social worker at the Harrisburg School District where she is the School Culture, Climate, and Trauma Resource Specialist. She works to ensure that students have a safe environment and is dedicated to preventing abuse, a press release said. She also provides trauma-informed supports and interventions to high school students and their families, as well as faculty members within the district. She understands the gravity of what occurs when a child has endured abuse and works to address their unique needs.
Human Services Secretary: Emergency SNAP Allotments Beginning for Households Receiving Monthly Maximum Benefit
04/16/2021
Harrisburg, PA - The Department of Human Services (DHS) today began to issue emergency allotments for the month of April for households that currently receive the maximum monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit.
These funds come following a settlement between Community Legal Services (CLS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and will be the first part of a $712 million distribution of federally-funded food assistance for approximately 700,000 households that either received less than half their monthly SNAP payment in additional assistance or have not received extra SNAP assistance since the COVID-19 pandemic began.