Beginning November 1, no SNAP benefits will be available due to the government shutdown. Existing EBT cards will still work if there is money available on them, but regular November payments will not be received. For area organizations supplying food to hungry families, challenging times lie ahead.
“Yes, this is a crisis. We are beefing up our inventory as best we can. We started that before our busiest time, which is during the holidays. Meeting the demand will not be easy,” explained Frank Sheppard, CEO of Feeding the Valley.
Feeding the Valley distributes food in 17 counties in West Georgia and to Russell County in Alabama. At a time when the organization was already facing a substantial food shortage and with Thanksgiving ahead, the loss of SNAP benefits couldn’t have come at a worse time.
In rural areas of Georgia, their Mobile Pantry Program provides food to more than 12,000 families a month with limited access to a grocery store or an emergency food pantry…