'The helpers need help'. Food banks brace for impact as SNAP cliff looms.
toggle caption Barbara Sprunt/NPR
Chris Jones and Mary Ann Edwards have been volunteering at the Llano Food Pantry in central Texas for several years. It's a tight-knit group, where food recipients gather early to chat outside, and community members contribute their own produce.
"The ladies all come in and go, 'guess what I did with those plums I got last time?' We share recipes, we talk and it's like a big family," Edwards said.
Four years ago, the pantry was receiving 15-20 people each week. Now, they say, the number is about a hundred clients every week.
"Right now — and we've been doing this for a while — we limit canned goods," said Jones. "We didn't have to do that in the beginning because we didn't have that many people coming through."
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They said the past year has been tough for families, with rising food costs.
"I think the telltale is that every time we're opening, we are getting new clients — maybe one, maybe two, maybe three," said Edwards. "Just a steady increase. They come in, they're embarrassed — 'I never thought I would be in this position.' You know, a lot of people are in the same position you're in, and that's why we're here."
Their clientele
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