Golden Harvest Food Bank Issues Urgent Appeal
As the government shutdown drags on, many are going without paychecks. Those who receive government food assistance won’t see their monthly benefits on November first. Help is needed more than…
As the government shutdown drags on, many are going without paychecks. Those who receive government food assistance won't see their monthly benefits on November first.
Help is needed more than ever.
Golden Harvest Food Bank Executive Director Amy Breitmann said the organization is currently experiencing the highest food insecurity rates in nearly a decade as grocery prices continue to rise.
"In the past week, visits to our "Find Food" page on our website have been up 60% and our partners continue to express concern about the long lines and increased need in their neighborhoods," said Breitmann.
More money has been budgeted for Golden Harvest Food Bank's purchased food program to support backpacks for children, senior food boxes, and food distribution to the food pantries, soup kitchens and other programs in the area, but it's still not enough.
Breitmann said, "Augusta and the surrounding area is particularly vulnerable during the government shutdown as our region's two largest employers are Fort Gordon Army Base with 31,000 employees and the Savannah River Site, a large U.S. Department of Energy facility where nearly 12,000 people are employed. The shutdown doesn't just impact military and federal workers. It impacts federal contractors, military personnel, and civilians with contracts associated with departments throughout the federal government. With a real threat to paychecks, so many families who are employed and hardworking are and will continue to turn to the charitable food system for relief."
Community Help Is Needed
On her Facebook page, Breitmann said she was calling on the community to help.
"Our budget and distribution numbers will not come close to being enough to fill the intensified and exponential needs caused by the prolonged government shutdown in our 24 counties and the discontinuation of SNAP benefits. For every meal we distribute, SNAP provides 9. And partners are seeing a higher number of neighbors come for food assistance as they miss paychecks,"Breitmann added.
Breitmann said we can provide much needed help, whether it's collecting food, donating funds, or volunteering time.
To donate or volunteer, visit https://goldenharvest.org.
For those that need help with food assistance, visit GoldenHarvest.org and click on "Find Help."
