TAMPA – Hundreds of families waited hours outside the Lee Davis Community Center in Tampa, some arriving before sunrise Friday, all waiting for the same thing: help to put food on the table.
The event, organized by Hillsborough County Health Care Services and Feeding Tampa Bay, drew 250 people, many of them struggling to feed their families as delays in federal food assistance continue.
“People have been out here since six o’clock this morning,” said Stephanie Albury, who was among those waiting in line. “I still don’t have anything. It’s not going to be an overnight process. It’s not like [the federal government] just cut the light on, and we all got our food stamps.”
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What we know:
The federal government has reopened and funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is expected to resume soon. But across the country, uncertainty remains about when benefits will actually reach the accounts of recipients.
Nationwide, 42 million Americans depend on SNAP benefits to buy groceries. Officials say the program should restart within 24 hours for most states and at least 19 states and the District of Columbia have already issued full benefits to some recipients.
In Florida, the Department of Children and Families said last week it was taking steps to issue partial benefits, but many families say they have yet to see the funds.
“The last few events have been record crowds for us,” said Rob Mirlenbrink with Hillsborough County Health Care Services. “With a lot of stuff that’s going on, people wondering about their benefits and such, we’ve been seeing about 100 to 150 additional families.”
Lee Davis Center food distribution
What they’re saying:
For people like Alberta Brown, the long lines are both a source of stress and a reminder of the community’s compassion.
“Just to have the basic necessity of eating a sandwich, kids going to school hungry, babies not having milk, it can’t do anything but touch your heart and make you want to help,” Brown said. “If we are the richest country in the world, why do we have so many people in lines for food?”
Despite the hardship, many residents said they’ve found hope in each other.
“What I don’t need, I’ll share with my neighbors,” said Theresa Waites, another recipient.
Brown said someone she met in line even offered to share what little they had. “It was the nicest gesture,” she said.
What’s next:
Friday’s event was one of three grocery giveaways planned in Hillsborough County this month. The next distribution is scheduled for Friday at the Plant City Community Resource Center from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
The Source: Information for this story came from Hillsborough County Health Care Services, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and interviews with recipients at Friday’s food distribution.