PARRISH, Fla. — More than 250 families waited for food on Saturday at the Parrish United Methodist Church in the wake of the government shutdown.
Organizers said that they’ve seen an uptick of 50 more families seeking food assistance as millions of Americans were set to lose their SNAP benefits on Nov. 1. The federal program is temporarily shutting down amidst the government shutdown.
The last tally at the Parrish church on Saturday was 265 families, officials said.
The church’s food pantry has a food distribution on the first and third Saturdays of every month, in addition to their pantry, which serves people during the week.
Some people waiting for food had been in line since late last night.
And the wait was more than two hours until they made their way through the distribution line.
Among the products distributed were meat and vegetables, canned goods, juice and bread.
Jim Racky, the food ministry coordinator, said they partner with Publix, the faith-based group One More Child and the local food bank to get these items for distribution.
"I know how important it is."
A Tampa woman created a list to help families find food during a possible SNAP funding lapse. Tampa Bay 28's Chad Mills spoke with Kas Miller about the inspiration behind her project.
