ATLANTA — As the government shutdown continues, up to 750,000 people in north Georgia could lose their federal food assistance by Saturday.
How families and food banks are preparing, on Channel 2 Action News starting at 4 p.m.
The Atlanta Community Food Bank is preparing for a surge in demand as SNAP benefits are set to end if no agreement on the government shutdown is reached by midnight Saturday.
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“There are about 750,000 people in our 29-county region who benefit from the SNAP program. Those are folks who are going to need help getting the food that they need,” said Kyle Waide, CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot.
The Atlanta Community Food Bank serves as a hub, purchasing food and distributing it to more than 700 food pantries across 29 north Georgia counties.
At the state capitol, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and two Democratic members of Congress blamed Republicans for the shutdown, while Republicans pointed fingers at Democrats.
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“Today marks day 27 of the Republican federal government shutdown and manufactured health care crisis,” Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson said.
“If they want to have a serious conversation like adults, what we do is open the government back up, bring the responsible parties around the table and figure out the problem,” Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon said.
The federal government spends about $3.2 billion annually on SNAP benefits for approximately 1.5 million people across Georgia, which will be at risk if the shutdown persists past Saturday.
The Atlanta Community Food Bank has an interactive map here where you can find a local food bank near you.
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