DFW residents turn to food pantries for support as SNAP benefits slashed
The federal government said Monday it will only be able to cover half of the benefits for SNAP recipients this month as the shutdown continues. Many in DFW are already turning to local food pantries to make ends meet.
"Valarie, I met five, six years ago through St. Vincent dei Pau, l and she is a lovely person. She called us when she needed some help with an electricity bill, and we brought some food," said Grainne Cella, a volunteer with St. Vincent de Paul North Texas, a non-profit in Dallas. She's bringing a few boxes of food to Valarie Smith.
"Sometimes you know, the money just doesn't stretch," said Smith.
Smith relies on social security disability for money, but it can be hard to make it through the month with just that. So, she relies on SNAP benefits to help with groceries.
"Now with the shutdown, not knowing if we're going to get any benefits from SNAP, it's kind of hard," said Smith.
"Because of the politics that's involved, regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, we have lives that are at risk. As I mentioned earlier, 450,000 people just in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are absolutely critically reliant upon SNAP benefits," said Luis Gonzalez, the CEO of St. Vincent de Paul North Texas.
He and volunteers like Cella are working to distribute food to those in need.
"For our neighbors right now, it's very scary, because they don't know what the solution is," said Cella.
"It takes a lot of courage for people to stand up and say, 'I need help.' Nobody wants to feel like they can't take care of themselves. So we're really blessed that we're part of an organization that says, 'Hey you did reach out and we're going to try and do what we can to assist you,'" said Gonzales.
To learn how you can help, head to their website, svdpdallas.org.