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PITTSBURGH_ "Dr. Heller, I noticed you were dancing to our food stamp song as you came in here, and I hope you won't dance around some of the demands we're going to present to you today," stated Eugenia Mosby, as the tune to a revamped Toni Braxton Song aptly named "Food Stamp Access, " welcomed the government representative into the hearing.

Mosby, a community leader from Just Harvest, jumpstarted the organization's food stamp hearing by pinning down Dr. Sheri Heller, deputy secretary of welfare, into agreeing to work with the community group on reforming the county's food stamp policies.

Over a hundred people turned out for the Feb. 21 meeting in Pittsburgh for the second food stamp hearing being held across the country.

Just Harvest's Welfare Justice Project, made up of current and former food stamp users, also demanded specific state changes from the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare (DPW) and the Allegheny County Assistance Office in Policies and Service Delivery.

After hearing the testimony and the demands Heller agreed to work with the Welfare Justice Project. Members of the Welfare Justice Project will be meeting within 30 days to negotiate on the Bill of Rights, policies regarding appropriate appointment notification, voicemail, and implementing a pilot project in the County that will have extended office hours.

Representatives from the DPW said the department would change its policies regarding discounting cars from the asset test and the Transitional Benefits options as soon as the USDA gave the okay.

"I've never been to a hearing like this before. You all were very organized and disciplined. I think if this hearing had been set up any other way, I wouldn't have said 'yes' to anything," Heller said at the end of the meeting.