The Brief
- Tacoma’s Eloise’s Cooking Pot food bank faces increased demand, with families waiting hours for food amid the government shutdown.
- The Making a Difference Foundation has paused its mobile food bank at Tacoma Dome for the first time in two years due to burnout.
- A new home delivery program aims to reduce long lines by providing emergency food packages within 72 hours.
TACOMA, Wash. – As lawmakers in Washington, D.C. continue to debate federal funding, the impact is being felt thousands of miles away in Tacoma, where families are waiting hours for food at one of the region’s busiest food banks.
At Eloise’s Cooking Pot, the line now stretches around the corner, down the street, and in front of nearby homes — a sign, organizers say, that it’s going to be a long day. Staff members told FOX 13 that before the government shutdown, operations typically wrapped up between 2 and 4 p.m. Now, volunteers are often still serving families past 6 p.m.
They say when one person walks out the door with groceries in hand, five more step in line to take their place. Some shared with FOX 13 they waited more than two hours for food, often collecting bags not just for themselves but for friends and family as well.
What they’re saying:
Ahndrea Blue, CEO and president of the Making a Difference Foundation, which runs the food bank, has experienced her workload double, if not triple over the last few weeks. …