The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri says more residents are seeking food resources for the first time or the first time in recent memory, due to the federal government shutdown.
It’s day 41 of the federal government shutdown. Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri chief communications officer Katie Adkins tells 939 the Eagle that the Food Bank Market on Columbia’s Business Loop served about 4,400 households in October, including 273 new households. Adkins says that trend is continuing:
“So over the last three days, so Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday … the Food Bank Market has served nearly 900 families. And a high number of new families who have never visited that location before,” Adkins says.
The Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) website says about 668,000 Missourians received food stamps in September. We won’t have October statistics yet.
The Columbia-based Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri praises the way our community is rallying to help neighbors get needed food during the federal government shutdown. Katie Adkins praises your generosity, saying they are grateful to share millions of pounds of food at no cost in Boone County annually:
“Our community is really special, and we are so grateful for the support that we are seeing right now. Even as we see a need increasing exponentially,” says Adkins.
She tells 939 the Eagle that on Wednesday alone, Columbia’s Food Bank market on the Business Loop served 339 households, including 20 new households that had never visited before.