AUSTIN, Texas – Hundreds of people showed up for a Thanksgiving food distribution held by the Central Texas Food Bank at Nelson Field on Thursday.
This comes a week after the government reopened following a 43-day shutdown.
What they’re saying:
“The close-down was so long, we didn’t think it had to go that long, so now it’s back up, so we still need a little bit of help,” Harvey Crenshaw, who was picking up food, said.
Cathy English was picking up food for her neighbors.
“There are other people who need help that can’t get here, so this enables other people to have a nice turkey and something that they can be grateful for,” she said.
Ann Cozzens will be cooking and sharing food with her neighbors.
“We have several of us that are single in a home. Some of us have small kids, and they really are struggling to put food on the table,” she said.
State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) was one of the volunteers.
“We’ve had a lot of food insecurity. Some of that is related to the overall economic condition of the nation and some of it’s related to the government shutdown that ended recently,” she said.
Roughly 3.5 million Texans receive SNAP benefits, which were on hold during the government shutdown.
“Those benefits are trickling back, but the harm has already happened. So making sure that families have food in the cupboard and in the fridge for the holidays is more important than ever,” Zwiener said.
As people prepare for the holidays, it’s a reminder to be grateful and help others.
“I’m a disabled Vietnam veteran and stuff, so I like to give back to all my neighbors, little acts of kindness,” Cozzens said.
“We can always get together on Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it will really help us,” Crenshaw said.
Why you should care:
If you need help getting food, click here.
There will be another Thanksgiving food distribution on Monday, Nov. 24, at the Delco Center at 4601 Pecan Brook Drive from 9-10:30 a.m.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Angela Shen