People who rely on SNAP benefits are turning to local food pantries to keep their fridges full while they wait for the program to resume.
The Estero Bay Kindness Coalition's Morro Bay facility has seen an increase in just the past few days.
“Normally, this is packed full of our fresh vegetables that we get," said Pamela Harris, team leader at the Morro Bay facility, pointing to empty shelves.
Harris has been trying to double up stock in order to meet the needs that they have recently seen, as well as prepare for an increased demand to come.
Bobby deLancelotti, founder and CEO of the Estero Bay Kindness Coalition, said that he has noticed a shift as well.
“Just this last week, I wanted to give you an example, I’ve had six calls already from families and usually we get it from the schools but these are families that their neighbors, so they’ve lost their SNAP benefits, they say, 'Can we help?’ So that’s just in one week," deLancelotti said.
Those benefit cuts are due in part to he government shutdown as well as previous program cuts, coming from the H.R.1 bill, which cut about 20% of the entire program’s budget.
The Kindness Coalition has more than 130 volunteers across three different programs:
- Sunshine and Seed - offers free clothing to students
- Bags of Love - delivers groceries to local families
- Got Your Back - backpacks full of food for students
“So we fill the backpacks with all this wonderful stuff. We make sure they're protein-rich and things for the kids to get through the weekend,” Harris said.
The organization spends about $15,000 to $25,000 a month on items for the people it serves.
They are able to get those funds through fundraising and grants, as well as partnering with other local non-profits such as the SLO Food Bank and First Fruit Farms, which brings in thousands of pounds of food and produce weekly.
“Just last week, we got 700 pounds of produce just picked that morning being delivered to our families, so it’s pretty sweet,” deLancelotti said.
The Kindness Coalition welcomes anyone who needs extra food to reach out at (805) 305-5671 or visit their website here for more information.
