HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) — This Saturday, SNAP benefits could be suspended due to the government shutdown. This would impact many Alabamians who rely on the program to feed their families.
Some local nonprofits say they’re already seeing the increase in people since the shutdown started. Many food programs in the region say there’s been a spike in the number of people who need assistance.
Monday, Grace Klein Community had a food box distribution at Liberty Church Birmingham. The nonprofit says more than 250 food boxes were given out, which is a jump up from the increase they saw last week.
“We tend to do between 160 to sometimes 200 boxes a day,” said Maggie Morrison who works with Grace Klein Community. “This past week, all four days that we were open, we did a little over 885 boxes.”
The influx of people isn’t just felt at the Liberty Church drive-thru location. Grace Klein Community estimates it served more than 20,000 people last week across its food distribution sites with just under 66,000 pounds of food.
“We see many different people that come through our lines. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the ones you would expect,” Morrison said. “Sometimes, people just get down on their luck and they have one medical bill that takes all of their money and then they don’t have enough for food that day.”
The nonprofit says because of the need it saw in the community, it held nine food distributions last week instead of the typical five drive-thrus.
“Not only because of the SNAP benefits but the holidays, we tend to see an influx of people because they’re just wondering how they’re going to be able to get their next meal,” said Morrison.
Jenny Waltman, the founder of Grace Klein Community, says with the need they’ve seen come in, there’s only one explanation for how the nonprofit is able to meet the demand.
“God multiplied food in Alabama last week because the math does not make sense,” she said in a statement.
Daniela Goulsby works for Grace Klein Community but once was in the shoes of the people she now serves.
“Growing up, I benefited from organizations like Grace Klein. My family immigrated from Mexico,” she said.
Goulsby says she understands the fear and stress many families are facing with the looming possibility that SNAP benefits could be suspended in just a few short days.
“Even like the food they receive if they come through our lines, what can they do creatively with the food to be able to feed their families,” Goulsby said. “I would also say reach out to neighbors, reach out to family friends who they can rely on to ask maybe for a meal or for help.”
Grace Klein Community works closely with Mercy Deliverance Ministries, another nonprofit that gives out free food boxes and runs a mobile grocery store. Mercy Deliverance Ministries says the number of people it’s serving is up 119% since the start of the government shutdown.
“We know that we were called for such a time as this. God kept telling me ‘you’re building for what’s to come. Do it the way I tell you to do it because it’s going to look different. It has to look different because of what’s coming’,” Mercy Deliverance Ministries founder Toni Vines said. “So, what’s coming is now here.”
Vines says serving one another and loving your neighbor is what we’re called to do.
“The government was never supposed to take care of people, that was the responsibility of the body of Christ and the church. We relinquished that duty so it’s now time for us to repent to go ‘Lord, what do you have me to do?’” Vines said. “I’ve always said what’s your call, and if you have breath in your life, breath in your body, then there’s a purpose for you, you are the answer to somebody’s prayer.”
Grace Klein Community has weekly food distribution sites. You can find a location near you by going to the website here.
For more information on when and where Mercy Deliverance Ministries will give out food boxes or stop with the mobile grocery store, click the link here.
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