Brooklyn Center Food Shelf Braces for Impact of SNAP Cuts
With the government shutdown headed past 30 days, an estimated 440,000 Minnesotans will lose access to Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits this weekend, according to state statistics. A local food shelf is bracing for the impact.
“We’ve had significant changes in our community over the last five years, more specifically,” said Kalleah Kennedy, director of mission advancement at CEAP in Brooklyn Center. “And now with this shift with SNAP, it’s increasing ten-fold.”
Kennedy said the CEAP food shelf serves more than 100 families a day. It costs $85,000 a month to feed all of those families.
CEAP provides food assistance to more than 100 families a month.
With SNAP benefits cutting off Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown, a Brooklyn Park church is stepping up efforts to help CEAP and other food shelves to fill the gap.
“We’re asking our local church, along with all of our partners and friends, to join with us to make non-perishable donated items that we can redistribute to CEAP and organizations like CEAP,” said Pastor Joe Boyd of Grace Fellowship Church in Brooklyn Park. “We’re also asking to give real tangible dollars because for every dollar that we would spend, they would be able to reach three times more people with that food. They’re more efficient in their buying power and their ability to meet those needs.”
For anyone interested in donating money or nonperishable food items to CEAP, you can go to the CEAP website.
Related: CEAP Expands Meals on Wheels Program, Seeks More Volunteers
