TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) \u2014 With SNAP benefits about to run out, a new partnership aims to make sure no one in the Big Bend goes hungry.<\/p>\n
211 Big Bend is partnering with DoorDash through Project DASH to deliver food to families who can\u2019t get to local pantries.The program launches Monday, November 3, to support families affected by the SNAP benefit disruption.Watch the video below to hear why 211 staff say this partnership is important for the Big Bend.<\/p>\n
211 Big Bend teams up with DoorDash to deliver food to families without transportation<\/p>\n
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:<\/p>\n
For families without a car, getting to a food pantry can be the hardest part of putting dinner on the table. Now, 211 Big Bend is teaming up with DoorDash to bring the food directly to them.<\/p>\n
Through DoorDash\u2019s Project DASH program, local drivers will deliver boxes from community food pantries right to the homes of people who need them most. It\u2019s a new way to make sure transportation isn\u2019t the reason a family goes hungry.<\/p>\n
Kay Ignacio, CEO of 2-1-1 Big Bend, said, \u201cIt\u2019s important we have that partnership because it bridges gaps in the community and removes transportation barriers for people who just can\u2019t get out there. And it also helps our counselors because it\u2019s a yes. People call. They have the eligibility requirements. Our counselors feel good, and the person who were able to serve feels good as well. So it\u2019s a win-win.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that help couldn\u2019t come at a more critical time. With the USDA announcing, as of now, there will be no SNAP benefits issued on November 1, counselors say the phone lines were overwhelmed with families concerned about food.<\/p>\n
Shmuel Eisen, a full-time counselor with 211 Big Bend, said, \u201cIt\u2019s always a struggle with rent. It\u2019s always a struggle with the utility bills, but the food stamps are just one of those things that people are used to being able to rely on. And all of a sudden the rug got swept out this past Monday. It was just call after call after call of food-stamp-related items. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever had more food-related calls in a day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust know that those two numbers, 2-1-1 & 9-8-8, are so important to our community. Talk about them with your friends. Spread them around to your family and community, because the more people that know, the more people we can help through their emotional crisis. Because in the big band, no one faces a crisis alone.\u201d Said Ignacio.<\/p>\n
Leaders at 211 told me that this will officially start on November 3rd, the first Monday of the month, to help those families whose SNAP benefits have been affected and who don’t have the means for transportation.<\/p>\n
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