Family Promise of Athens works to help people experiencing homelessness, but with SNAP cuts looming on Saturday, the organization is doing everything it can to fill the gap.
SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federally-funded program that provides monthly benefits to low-income households to help pay for the cost of food.
SNAP benefits will be put on pause if the government shutdown continues past Nov. 1. These benefits are crucial to nearly 1.4 million Georgia residents, according to the Georgia Department of Human Services.
Family Promise of Athens is working to help families with children under the age of 18 who might lose these benefits.
A lot of people on SNAP, you may not even know they’re on it,” said prevention coordinator Crystal Tarber. “These are your neighbors. These are the people who work in our community that we see every day.”
“I want people to think about like, when was the last time that you were truly hungry? I have two kids. Did I just think about how their friends, my kids go to school with some of the same people that I serve?”
Executive Director Madison Sanders said the organization has been able to collect about $1,000 in Kroger and Walmart gift cards. She also noted an increase in the number of families coming in for their walk-in hours to learn about the services that they provide.
Sydney Palmer is a journalism major in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
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