SNAP benefits are reduced. You can help make sure your neighbor has food this season.
On November 1st, thousands of our neighbors lost SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, due to the government shutdown and disagreements over the use of contingency funds. Although court orders have told the administration that they are required to fund the program, they have agreed to only fund 50% and there is no clear timeline as to when our friends and family will receive those benefits. Haywood Christian Ministry is doing all that we can to make sure that all our neighbors who need food are able to get food during this unprecedented time, and I am asking you to join us in doing more for our neighbors facing hunger during this holiday season.
SNAP is the most important program when it comes to hunger prevention. For every 1 meal that food pantries or soup kitchens provide, SNAP provides 9, and it does so by allowing our neighbors to shop for the foods that their family needs and wants. Furthermore, the vast majority of SNAP beneficiaries are children. By reducing SNAP benefits, we are simply making our children go hungry during the Thanksgiving season.
HCM is ready to do everything we can to make sure our neighbors have access to food during this trying time. We are working to expand hours, to more deeply support our partner agencies in the area, and trying to leverage our resources to get more food to more families. But we will need your help to make this happen, and here is what you can do:
Donate: This is the quickest most effective way to help. We can secure more food at cheaper prices, so money helps us a great deal.
Volunteer: If we are to expand our impact to be able to provide more food to more people, we need people to help us do that. We have opportunities Monday - Friday for you to help in our food programs.
Collect Food: You can easily join an existing food drive or start your own. You can conveniently donate food at the HCM Community Thrift Store at 150 Branner Avenue in Waynesville.
Write or Call your Representatives and Senators: Urge them to come to solutions to fully fund if not expand food access initiatives.
HCM is able to make sure that food is available all over our community, but we can only do so through your partnership with us. Please, join with us in helping our neighbors during this critical time.
In Peace,
Blake Hart
