The Trump administration says it’ll only partially fund the nation’s SNAP benefits this month, following a court order to do so. The head of a Bridgeport, Connecticut-based food pantry said that it won’t be enough.
Reverend Sara Smith runs Nourish Bridgeport, one of the city’s largest food pantries. She said they’re now trying to get people basics, like oil and eggs, that would normally be covered by food stamps.
“Which means we have to buy them retail," Smith said. "Which means the little line item we had in our budget for food is now huge. We've had so many new families. They're just saying, ‘Look, I paid my rent. I'm broke. I don't have any money for my food. I don't have any money for my children to feed them.’”
She said partial funding for SNAP won’t make much of a difference.
“My question is, for the people that have privilege, what are you going to do with it?" she asks. "Don't feel guilty. Don't have pity on my poor neighbors. Do something. Give us a donation so we can go buy the food we have to buy. Do a food drive, teach your kids how to set up a table at Stop and Shop, or just go and buy an extra thing of groceries and bring it to us. We will give it out. But the main thing is, don't just not care, because it's not affecting you. This will affect everyone.”
Smith said she's afraid the cuts are leading her neighbors to lose hope.
"They think nobody cares," she said. "We're called to care because we're human beings. And I feel like something that I knew about my country is gone — compassion, empathy, care. These are the things that make us better people. What has happened to us?”
