1,000+ Food Boxes Distributed to Fight Food Insecurity
As families and individuals in the United States faced uncertainty about receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the government shutdown, Community Impact Network (the Network) quickly realized the need to act and assist organizations that provide resources for the families and individuals of 24:1.
In November, the Network collaborated with St. Augustine Wellston Center to distribute 1,000 food boxes to organizations serving the 24:1 community. The food boxes included essential food items such as milk, canned and dry goods, eggs, and meat, which serve a family of four.
Gabby Ochoa, Network Manager for the Community Impact Network, spearheaded the initiative, says that with the government shutdown, the residents of the 24:1 who receive SNAP benefits faced an even greater need due to the lack of food resources in the 24:1.
“With most of the 24:1 residing in communities that are food deserts, the need for families to receive food sooner rather than later was critical and I wanted to work with our network organizations to quickly distribute food boxes to the people they serve who were in need.”
Several organizations in the 24:1 distributed food boxes to families, including:
- Beyond Housing
- The Legacy Center
- Urban Sprouts Early Childhood Development Center
- YWCA Pine Lawn
- YWCA Pagedale
Although the government shutdown ended on November 12 and SNAP benefits have been redistributed, the need for continuous access to food persists. Ochoa hopes that individuals and families in the 24:1 community are aware that resources are available to them if they need any assistance.
“There is help out there, and I will do whatever I can to make sure that the community knows that, said Ochoa.”
Below is a list of organizations within the 24:1 that provide food assistance. For more information about these organizations, please click on their links below. For more photos of the distribution, please see below.
