Over the last week, Makenzie Stanberry has watched as other Madison residents have flooded social media with concern over the Nov. 1 deadline when thousands of Wisconsinites will be cut off from federal food assistance because of the ongoing government shutdown.
She, like many locals, had been brainstorming how she could help her neighbors. In Facebook groups, some residents with more disposable income are offering to take on a “grocery buddy” by buying food items for a neighbor who relies on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits, that will soon run dry.
The conversations took place in the comments sections of Facebook groups in an ad hoc fashion that Stanberry felt could use some organization…