TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – As SNAP benefits were set to end Saturday, one Tallahassee food pantry said they noticed an increase in the amount of families served.
“There’s just a lot more people hurting,” Element3 Church Pastor Mike Overstreet said. “We’re just seeing a massive rise in people that you would not expect to attend a food service or a food pantry like this normally.”
He said a typical weekend at their Serve Tallahassee Food Pantry involves between 160 to 180 families. On Saturday, Overstreet said they served 241 families.
A sharp increase can heavily affect the food supply available for families, according to Overstreet.
“When you see a spike like that, our incoming amount of food that we’re getting through donations and TEFAP, it doesn’t rise,” Overstreet said. “So, basically, we have the same pot of food that now has to be spread out over 50 percent more families that are coming through.”
He anticipates the increased need to continue, particularly during the next few weeks.
If you’d like to donate to the Serve Tallahassee Food Pantry, you can bring donations to Element3 Church on Sunday during service times. You can also drop off items Tuesday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you need assistance, the food pantry is open on Saturdays from 9-10:30 a.m.
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