CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — As the government shutdown heads into the weekend, local food pantries in Virginia are bracing for a potential spike in demand if the shutdown continues.
Food bank directors said they were already facing higher demand before the shutdown, and now, they’re hoping for the best while preparing to ensure no one in the community goes hungry.
Volunteers at the Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center serve more than 4,000 families each month, but as the shutdown stretched on, volunteers said so will the lines.
A team of volunteers delivers groceries to cars in line at the Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center.
“When we come into the holiday season, the demand always goes up, and with this on top of it, we can only imagine that it could be amplified even more,” said Nick Jenkins, the organization’s Community Outreach Director.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits are expected to be distributed throughout October.
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The Federation of Virginia Food Banks partners with over a thousand agencies to distribute food across the Commonwealth. The organization’s director, Eddie Oliver, said he’s seen an increase in demand following the end of pandemic assistance programs and worries that an interruption to food benefits could put a strain on food banks.
“Without those programs, any cuts to those, it’s going to fall on us and it’s going to send more people to our pantries when we’re barely meeting the need, as it is right now,” Oliver said.
The shutdown is also impacting federal employees across the state who face missed paychecks. Oliver said they’re ready to fill the gap for affected families if needed.
“Given the number of federal contractors and federal employees who live in Virginia who might be looking at missed paychecks in the coming weeks, our food banks are making contingency plans to directly serve some of those folks,” Oliver said.
Both organizations emphasized that their efforts rely heavily on community support.