A potential government shutdown weighs heavily on households that rely on SNAP benefits to fill their pantries. That means food banks like Food For People might see an increase in people.
Carly Robbins, the Executive Director of Food For People, explained how they’re getting prepared.
“We are definitely planning for what a government shutdown would look like, traditionally, when that’s happened, we have seen an influx of not only people who use Calfresh SNAP benefits that might not be getting a lot, which is very hard,” Robbins said. “But often government employees who suddenly aren’t getting paid come to the food bank and will need to access services. so we’re definitely focusing on making sure we’re well stocked right now. we’re ordering as much as we can and that we can hold to make sure that we are prepared if we see a bigger influx.”
Food For People has already seen a high number of households in need.
“We actually just had a record month last month, which is not the kind of record you want to be setting as a food bank,” Robbins said. “We did serve the most amount of people we’ve seen in food for people’s history. so we want to make sure we have the food on hand to meet it.”
Carly says that Food For People is always open to those who need help, and that receiving help from the organization is simple.
“We have pantries throughout the county, so depending on where you’re located, just go on to the website to find the one that makes the most sense for you here in Eureka, you can just call in,” Robbins said. “We encourage people to make an appointment, we also take walk-ins, but they make the process very simple.”
Donations are highly encouraged, especially during this time, and certain items are needed more than others.
“If you have food in your pantry, you might not use it, we would love to take it off your hands often,” Robbins said. “What people are kind of looking for in the pantry that are very hard for us to get a hold of and don’t get donated often are the things that are for special dietary restrictions so things like almond milk, alternative milk, gluten free items or even like whole grain of pasta, rice, that kind of thing are really kind of a treasure when they come into the food bank, because that means they’ll be able to meet someone’s need when they come in.”
Food For People also needs canned fruits and veggies, soups and stews, along with nut butters, canned fish or meat.
If you’re donating canned goods, why not donate a can opener? They need those too.
Donations are accepted every Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm at the Eureka location. They also accept cash donations. https://www.foodforpeople.org/
