Chesterfield food bank anticipates growing demand if SNAP funding runs out
VENN
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- With the possibility of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds not reloading to recipients next month, organizers at Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center say they are starting to feel the ripples of the government shutdown.
About 800,000 Virginians may be affected by delayed or disrupted SNAP funding, meaning the food bank is continually asking for neighbors' help to keep everyone fed, especially as the holiday season draws near.
"We don't know exactly what the future is going to hold — what November is going to look like or December — but we do know that with our community standing together, we can face anything," said Nicholas Jenkins, who serves as the food bank's director of communications and community outreach.
Between 15,000 and 16,000 visits already happen per month, with most clients already receiving money to their EBT cards each month.
"It would not be surprising to see that 15 to 16,000 go up to 25 or 30,000," Jenkins said.
While that may include a typical demand increase for the holiday season, this food bank will be looking toward its Feed More and local government partnerships but Jenkins challenges Chesterfield residents to determine whether they're food secure.
"Maybe they're not feeling that pinch, or maybe in the pinch they still have something to be able to donate — time, food or finances — to make sure that we can make sure that none of our neighbors go hungry," Jenkins said. "That shouldn't be something that we deal with in Chesterfield County."
The Chesterfield Food Bank is also adding two more distribution dates a month in response to funding uncertainty, spreading from Chester to Reams Road Elementary School to Virginia State University.
"We know that the concern or the caution, or even the underlying fear, that some of our residents may experience is going to drive out lines up at our distributions, even before the lack of benefits goes through," Jenkins said.
