Bradenton-area organizations plan food distribution amid SNAP benefit pause
With the looming pause in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits impacting 40,000 Manatee County residents, local food banks and a restaurant are stepping up to help.
“We are planning extra distributions,” Feeding Tampa Bay president and chief executive officer Thomas Mantz said. “We’re trying to make sure that our partners have more resources, as much as we can. We go as long as we can as far as we can.”
SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps or EBT cards, are a monthly allowance to pay for food and other groceries. According to Feeding America, SNAP is the largest anti-hunger program in the country — supporting more than 40 million people.
On Saturday, federal funding for SNAP is expected to run out due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, according to the Associated Press. Approximately 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries with SNAP benefits, the outlet reported.
Food drive planned amid SNAP benefits pause
To prepare, Meals on Wheels is planning an emergency drive-thru food distribution on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at the Dream Church, 1820 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“We are already seeing more people in need of emergency food support,” Meals on Wheels Plus president and CEO Maribeth Phillips said in a news release. “Many of our neighbors who were just getting by are now facing additional challenges with the loss of SNAP.”
Meals on Wheels vice president of development Amy Towery said Tuesday’s distribution will be on a first-come, first-serve basis with limited quantities. And food will be available for more than 1,000 families.
“Our hope is that it will be a blessing and a help to families who are really in a tough spot with the pause of the SNAP benefits,” Towery said.
In addition to food pantries, restaurant chain Chicken Salad Chick announced it will help feed children until SNAP benefits are restored.
Any child visiting the restaurant in Bradenton, located at 5434 Lockwood Ridge Road, will receive a free kids meal. There is a limit of one kids meal per child, the child must be present and eat in the dining room and there is no purchase necessary.
“We are not taking sides or making this political,” the restaurant wrote in a social media post. “We just believe that no child should ever go hungry.”
The Facebook post has more than 7,600 shares and more than 8,800 reactions as of Thursday afternoon.
For a full list of food pantries partnered with Meals on Wheels Plus, go to MealsOnWheelsPlus.org.
To find a Feeding Tampa Bay distribution area, visit FeedingTampaBay.org and click the Find Food button. From there, enter your zip code to find nearby distributions.
