Just Harvest
Fighting to end hunger and poverty, Just Harvest has been a powerful voice for economic justice in their community of Allegheny County, PA, and throughout the country. Since their founding in 1986, they continue to be a reliable source of education, community organizing, advocacy and service.
A Just Harvest tax client speaks before Pittsburgh City Council for EITC Awareness Day.
Kristie Weiland Stagno, Just Harvest’s Tax Campaign Organizer, never thought her social work background would lead to helping with taxes. But now, through Just Harvest, Stagno has made a significant impact in providing tax services and advocacy for the low-income workers that drew her to the field. Now, she says, she’s “become a tax expert”.
In 2000, Just Harvest launched their “Give Paychecks a Boost” Campaign, which aims to increase the use of vital federal and state tax credits for low-income workers through education, advocacy and free tax preparation assistance. Since then the campaign has had great success. In 2011, Just Harvest completed 2,300 federal tax returns at 3 sites. Of these sites, one had been taken over by Just Harvest in 2009, when its site coordinator moved away. Maintaining most of the long-standing volunteers and implementing new quality procedures, Just Harvest was able to serve 50% more EITC recipients at this site in 2011 than it did in 2009.
The services Just Harvest offers to its community are crucial to combating the hardships of the time. They are concerned about the education funding which has been drastically reduced and the new rules and restrictions that are being placed on Medicaid and Welfare recipients.
Just Harvest’s efforts to fight for economic justice are not solely through service. They are primarily an advocacy group whose services guide their advocacy. They advocate on a wide variety of hunger and poverty issues including EITC, CTC, corporate tax welfare, federal and state budgets, childhood nutrition programs, food stamps and welfare policy.
Just Harvest is a strong source of support for their community and the successes they’ve had are well-deserved. They operate 3 VITA sites in Allegheny County, including the largest site in Western PA. They have founded the Allegheny County Money in Your Pocket Coalition in 2006. And they continue to provide technical assistance to other VITA sites through a contract with the United Way of Allegheny County. On the horizon, they are partnering with the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh this year to start a new VITA site at one of their largest housing communities for working families.
