WEST ALLIS — Families across Milwaukee are turning to food pantries as SNAP benefit payments remain frozen due to the federal government shutdown that began November 1.
Darlene, a mother who had never visited a food pantry before, waited in line at The City of Faith Meal Hub's weekly food giveaway in West Allis after discovering her SNAP balance showed zero dollars.
"I don't care if I don't eat, but I need to feed my kids," Darlene said.
The Department of Agriculture froze SNAP payments starting November 1 due to the federal government shutdown, leaving families scrambling for food assistance.
Watch: Milwaukee families rely on food pantries as uncertainty remains with SNAP benefits
"This morning, when I checked, it was a 0 balance," Darlene said.
The City of Faith Meal Hub distributed 131 boxes of food during their giveaway, with volunteers reporting increased demand in recent weeks.
Organizers say cars started to line up hours before the giveaway started.
"People are coming from all across Milwaukee, West Allis, Greenfield. They're coming from everywhere," founder Tangie Cokes said.
She started the weekly food giveaway in 2018.
Cokes said the organization has served a lot of people in recent weeks as families face uncertainty about when SNAP benefits will resume.
"We try to make the boxes as if we were a family and what would we want to eat tonight," Cokes said.
The group receives donations from Pick 'n Save, Sam's Club and Target, but welcomes additional food and monetary donations to help families during these uncertain times.
"We will gladly take it and be able to use it to help a family," Cokes said.
For Darlene, the community support provides hope during a difficult time.
"Everybody needs to put a little bit of their heart and help everybody," Darlene said.
If you want to donate food or money to The City of Faith Meal Hub, call (414) 763-0535.
Here is a list of other resources in the area accepting donations.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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