EYE ON HUNGER
San Antonio Food Bank held a stakeholders’ meeting on Tuesday morning via Teams, revealing the agency expects to need an extra $500,000 per week in order to meet the needs of the 50,000 extra people they likely to be impacted if the government shutdown continues.
The San Antonio Food Bank serves 29 counties in West Central Texas, including Tom Green County, and CEO Eric Cooper told listeners that number was based on the 89,000 federal workers in the San Antonio area, and the 100,000 federal contractors who are currently out of work, and who will be missing their first full paycheck soon.
Cooper said this was the fourth shutdown of his career, noting that while the depth and durations differed, this was now the longest full shutdown at 21 days and counting.
Key Dates Arriving Soon
He went over key dates to watch, beginning with Oct. 27, when SNAP benefits for November normally go out.
After receiving a reduced paycheck last month, federal civilian employees will miss their first full paycheck on Oct. 29.
On Oct. 31, active-duty military, Department of Defense personnel and reservists will find out if they are going to get paid or not.
On Nov. 1, according to the experts in Washington, the prolonged shutdown will be threatening the continuity of federal nutritional programs.
According to the Food Bank’s research, around 1-in-5 people already experience food insecurity in the 29-county area, with some 577,000 individuals served out of a population of roughly 2.9 million.
Cooper said current estimates suggest they will need about 1 million pounds of food per week to feed 50,000 more neighbors, explaining that they based their cost projections at $0.50-per-pound, amounting to an extra $2 million per month they will have to find.
Assigning Blame
While they didn’t spend too much time on the subject, the meetings participants in Washington, D.C. did speak briefly about why the government shutdown was happening, noting that Democratic Party leaders were holding out for healthcare subsidies for Medicaid, which undocumented immigrants do not qualify for, adding that premiums for Medicaid were about to “skyrocket” according to just about every industry analyst, thanks to cuts in the Republican’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.”
They also noted that Republicans currently control the majority in both houses of Congress, the presidency and the supreme court.
To donate to the Concho Valley Regional Food Bank, click here.
To donate to the San Antonio Food Bank, click here.
