EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Local elected officials, faith leaders, and non-profit organizations (NGO’s) called on the El Paso community for help to assist families in the Borderland impacted by federal government furloughs and the temporary lapse in funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
These community leaders spoke at a news conference at the Catholic Diocese of El Paso on Thursday, Nov. 4.
“We have organizations, NGOs that are actively working to address one of the more immediate crises that our community is facing right now, which is hunger. That hunger crisis has been ever-present in our community. But that crisis right now is being exacerbated by two things. Number one, by the federal government shutdown, which is now the longest federal government shutdown in American history…but also, the deliberate withholding of SNAP funds that are available to help continue to feed hungry Americans here in El Paso, we have over 150,000 El Pasoans who depend on SNAP,” said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas…