FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)— As the federal government shutdown will reach the longest in U.S. history Wednesday, a Fort Wayne food pantry is preparing for the worst.
Miss Virginia’s Food Pantry in East Central Fort Wayne said Tuesday they have developed an action plan to combat two major problems resulting from the government shutdown: increased demand due to snap delays and partial payments, and anticipated decreased food supply from the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
TEFAP is a federal food assistance program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Through TEFAP the government purchases food and distributes it food pantries across the country, like Miss Virginia’s, for free. Miss Virginia’s has received 149,000 lbs. of food through TEFAP so far this year, according to Dan McNamara, the president of miss Virginia’s board of directors…