TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – 211 Big Bend said it has seen an increase in calls from people needing food after SNAP benefits paused due to the federal government shutdown.
Colin Kliner with 211 Big Bend said in response to community need, they partnered with DoorDash to deliver food to people without transportation.
“Day in and day out, we get calls from people who just got an eviction notice, have five kids, and can’t afford food,” Kliner said.
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The distribution was at the Tallahassee Spanish SDA Church. DoorDash drivers were pinged for deliveries, not realizing they’d be taking boxes of food to people in need.
“When we think of 750 boxes, that might sound like a lot, but when the people start rolling through and it’s 10 boxes at a time, it really illustrates just how many folks out there are dependent on these SNAP benefits,” Kliner said.
Dria McKinsey and her mother, Denise, run the nonprofit Women Empowering Each Other (WEE). They picked up several boxes to deliver to their clients in need.
“We’re seeing an increase in calls from moms that can’t really supply their kids diapers. They’re having to choose between making the rent after losing their job or feeding their babies.”
McKinsey said many parents are already under a lot of stress raising children, and not knowing where their next meal will come from only adds to the problem.
“You have moms that they come in and they’re breaking down and letting us know like ‘Hey I don’t know if I can continue doing this,’” McKinsey said. “So, food drives really assist us in getting resources out to those that, right now, are just in a really really dark space.”
211 Big Bend said there is still a limited supply of food boxes available. If you’re in need and do not have transportation, you can call 211 to request a box until supplies run out.
The deadline is Thursday at 10 a.m.; however, you can call the organization at any time for other forms of assistance.
Tune into Eyewitness News at 5 and 6 p.m. to watch the full story. This article will be updated later this evening with more details.
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