Community members spent Friday preparing for the 51st Harambee Festival to connect residents and feed families during the government shutdown.
DALLAS — In a room full of busy hands, small gestures matter most.
“We’re just doing 500,” said Ella Wilson. “It still takes a village.”
That’s the theme for the 51st Harambee Festival in South Dallas. Wilson is Harambee’s Watoto Village Committee Chairman, and says Harambee means “let’s pull together.”
“We started Harambee out of a crisis affecting children and youth, and we’re still here back in a crisis that affects children and youth,” said Wilson.
Friday’s crisis is the government shutdown and the millions who may lose SNAP benefits on October 27.
“I am the legal guardian of 6 of my grandchildren. So, it definitely impacts me,” said Wilson.
She doesn’t receive SNAP benefits, but she gets help from her community. “Although they have been loving and supporting me and mine, when the shutdown hits, there are other people,” said Wilson.
They’ll be spending Saturday connecting residents to resources at the Harambee Festival.
“Nearly 3.5 million people in Texas alone rely on monthly SNAP benefits,” said Wilson.
SMU Professor Dr. Doric Earle is co-founder of Restorative Farms, an urban farming network fighting food insecurity. With SNAP benefits up in the air, they have to adjust their outreach.
“We’re going to have to figure out if we can do more for the food banks, if we can do more for the immediate community in terms of what we can grow and maybe diverting some from other buyers, if you will, restaurants or others to go into the community because of the situation,” said Dr. Earle.
He said there will be fewer fresh produce, turning people to canned goods. Local governments would have to invest more in social services.
“People are hungrier, people are more desperate. You’re going to need to invest more in infrastructure and in crime prevention,” said Dr. Earle. “You’re thinking you’re saving the government money by cutting people’s jobs or cutting these programs upfront. Eventually, you’re going to pay one way or other. The loss of productivity, loss of community, crime or other ancillary things that happen when people aren’t and their needs aren’t being met.”
That is why the community is prepping for the costs that millions will soon bear. The Harambee Festival takes place Saturday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the MLK Jr. Community Center, 2922 MLK Jr. Blvd, Dallas, TX.