Michael Eckert knows the struggle of relying on government assistance to stay warm and fed.

The East Deer resident received benefits from both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in previous years.

“These programs didn’t just help my wife and I survive,” Eckert said. “They gave us the chance to rebuild.”

In the face of the federal government shutdown and subsequent impacts on food assistance, Eckert is hosting a Community Roundtable where residents, faith leaders, local officials and nonprofits can converge.

The event is at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Community Library of Allegheny Valley in Harrison.

“Sometimes people are afraid to reach out,” Eckert said. “I want everyone to have a seat at the table. I want them to know they don’t have to wait for the government to step up. We can come together as a community to take care of each other.”

State Rep. Mandy Steele and state Sen. Lindsey Williams were invited to attend, along with representatives from local food pantries.

Church leaders from Generations House of Worship in Brackenridge will be there.

“When we started the church, one of the visions was not to be the end-all solution to everything but to support what’s happening in the community with food and housing ministries,” Pastor Nick Chybrzynski said. “We’ll come along and bring manpower or finances or whatever we can.

“Collaboration is everything. You don’t know what someone else can do better until we all get together.”

Chybrzynski said that through the church’s Impact Team, members support a wide range of residents through donations to Allegheny Valley Association of Churches in Harrison and Knead Community Café in New Kensington.

They give nearly $50,000 from the church to make a difference “in our backyard and worldwide,” he said.

Participants of the roundtable will have the chance to sign Eckert’s grassroots petition, Stop the Shutdown Crisis: Protect Food & Heating Assistance in Western PA, on Change.org.

It calls on state and federal leaders to get SNAP benefits back on track, secure emergency funding for LIHEAP so no family loses heat this winter, create a backup plan for families to stay fed and warm and keep communities educated about local resources.

Nearly 2 million state residents rely on SNAP, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and more than 302,000 households depend on LIHEAP.

“In Allegheny County, an estimated 140,000 residents face food insecurity — not knowing where their next meal will come from,” Eckert said. “These aren’t numbers, they’re our neighbors. Families in Tarentum, Creighton, New Ken, Springdale, Oakmont and Arnold are being hard hit.”

Eckert said the fallout from the Washington shutdown shouldn’t be political. He said the struggle between having food or heat affects families on both sides of the aisle.

Participants at the roundtable will be linked with local resources that provide emergency food and utility assistance.

“This is a community response to growing hardship,” Eckert said. “We want to send a clear message that every family deserves dignity, security and the assurance they can meet their most basic needs no matter what’s happening in government.”

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