North Texas food banks bracing for spike in demand as SNAP benefits end
CEDAR HILL, Texas (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Residents waited in line for hours to receive free food at Community Missionary Baptist Church in Cedar Hill.
On top of the inflation crisis, this food giveaway comes as hundreds of thousands of North Texas families lost their additional SNAP benefits Wednesday.
"I think it's going to be hard, not just for me but for other people with families who depend on it," Darcus Young said.
For roughly three years, families confronted with the impact of COVID-19 shutdowns and job losses qualified for extra money to help put food on the table, but it's gone away after congress passed a bill in December.
What to do next is a question many families are grappled with. The Tarrant Area Food Bank estimates the average family will see a cut of more than $200 a month.
Food banks are now bracing for a spike in demand.
"The economy doesn't understand hunger," Stephen Jackson said. "We understand that there's a reduction in SNAP benefits and so for that reason, we've loaded up just a little bit more so that we can meet the immediate needs of the community."
