Elkhart County food pantries are bracing for a surge in need as SNAP benefits are cut off starting Saturday because of the federal government shutdown. Pantries will be better positioned for the surge because of work they’ve done over the past year.
About a year ago the Community Foundation of Elkhart County was hearing from pantries that were seeing more need so they convened a group to start talking about it. Andy Murray, the foundation’s chief strategic initiatives officer, recalled how one woman at a pantry said they needed to raise awareness because she hears so many people doubt the county has a hunger problem.
“Her response to that was well yes we do and you’d be surprised to know that it’s your neighbors, it’s your coworkers, it’s the people that are educating your children that are coming and seeking our services.”
To become more efficient, they’ve formed the Elkhart County Food Collaborative. In September they launched a website, HungerEndsHere.com, listing 61 pantries and ways to donate or volunteer. Murray says over the past two days the foundation has bought a large amount of food and is rushing to distribute it to pantries because of the SNAP freeze.
“These pantries, we expect them to see anywhere from 2 to 3X multiple of their normal demand, all the way up to 9 to 10 times their normal demand, so as you can imagine they’re not staffed for that, so volunteer support will be huge.”
