EDGEWOOD, Md. — The food pantry at the Harford Community Action Agency in Edgewood appears to be well-stocked… at least for now.
Georgianna London has come here seeking food for family members who may soon lose their SNAP benefits.
“Several of them are disabled and they get food stamps, so I am concerned about them,” London told us.
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In recent weeks, the agency has expanded its hours, remaining open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., to accommodate the increased demand.
“We’ve seen about 12 new families for the furlough coming into the pantry that have never been here before,” said Kim Neely, “As far as the SNAP scare, we have also seen an increase in new customers coming in for that.”
“They’re not getting a lot to begin with so I can’t imagine how much that decrease will be,” added Courtney Insley, “because it’s not a lot to begin with.”
Some federal workers initially turned away because of their income may soon qualify since they’ve lost weeks on the job.
Pantry workers say that they’re hoping for the best, but planning for the worst should SNAP benefits run out, and they say as far as the politics is concerned, their clients could care less.”
“I believe they just want to feed their families and get on with regular life,” said Neely, “We try to be very compassionate. A lot of the families that come in are already traumatized in other ways and they’re using our programs and resources to get by.”
London---a woman who has long helped out others through a food pantry at her church who is now trying to help out her own family.
“Even before this here hits, this food stamps, there’s always been a need,” said London.
