SUFFOLK, Va. — With more families facing furloughs, job losses and SNAP cuts, organizers of a Suffolk food pantry say the need is higher than ever.
The Suffolk Christian Fellowship Food Pantry says they're working to keep their shelves stocked to make sure everyone can eat. The food pantry is a well-oiled machine, opening their doors nearly every day and giving people their own shopping experience.
"I get basically what I need — eggs, coffee, milk. It costs a lot now," Colleen Martin said.
Martin has been coming to Suffolk Christian Fellowship Food Pantry for five years, getting her groceries for free.
"I'm retired. I'm on limited money. I have to pay for everything. I'm lucky to have a few dollars left over, but they have helped me a lot," Martin said.
The pantry has been feeding people for 23 years, and co-founder Lorna Slaughter says the need is high. Since COVID, they've been committed to keeping shelves stocked.
"Even with COVID, we didn't have this type of increase," Slaughter said.
The increase in need comes amid uncertainty surrounding SNAP benefits amid the ongoing government shutdown. The federal government says it will no longer be able to fund SNAP as of Saturday.
"We have not just seen a rise in population from people who are already coming, but there's been an increase from those who've never had to use a food pantry before," Slaughter said.
From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., this pantry is open every workday except Wednesday.
If you missed your opportunity at Suffolk Christian Fellowship, there's another food pantry not too far away on North Main Street that's completely run by the community and open for 24 hours for anyone to come grab some food.
"You've got an endless stream of people coming in. They might drop off a single thing of cookies. They might come in with a truck load of supplies," said Thaler McCormick, CEO of ForKids.
McCormick is the CEO of ForKids, a nonprofit helping impoverished families.
Any time of the day, families can get food from a pantry run solely by the community.
ForKids says once food is dropped off, it goes quick — a sign of both the demand and the community's commitment to meet it.
For more information on the Suffolk Christian Fellowship food pantry, click here.
