Dear friends of EACM, here is some relevant, concise information regarding the shutdown of the Federal Government, as well as cuts to the SNAP program and USDA supplies.
- Gov. Andy Beshear has allocated approximately $9M in funds to cover the government senior food delivery program (Meals on Wheels) for an undetermined amount of time.
- Per Gov. Beshear: there are no funds available to cover the cost of November food stamp disbursements to KY residents if the federal government does not distribute funding to the state.
- With the passage of HR1, legal residents without green cards (refugees and immigrants) are no longer eligible for food stamps. This change is permanent and unrelated to the shutdown. Cubans and Haitians are exempt from this change which is good because those are the communities with high presence in Jefferson County. But about 6000 residents of Jefferson County are still affected. November 1st is the deadline to enact this change to eligibility.
- USDA policies affect food stamps as well as the distribution of 2 sources of food inventory for the EACM pantry. EACM has been told to expect a decrease of 30-40% in distribution to our pantry.
Some faith communities have reached out to us, and here are some of their plans:
- Lead a short-term, immediate food drive for our pantry.
- Pick up a few pantry items each month when you're out shopping. This helps keep our shelves stocked long-term.
- Add extra items to the Thanksgiving Bags for the neighbors who receive them. If you opt for this response, I suggest rice, beans, cereal, canned meat products, pasta, and pasta sauce. No glass.
- Participate in the Springhurst Meijer Simply Give Program. On Saturday, Dec. 13th, a $10 donation to Meijer's Simply Give program will be matched by Meijer with $20, yielding $30 for EACM to purchase items from Meijer.
- Become a monthly financial donor and support EACM operations year-round. Visit our Donate page to sign up.
Boy Scout Food Drive is Saturday, Nov. 15th. Staff and volunteers will be present at EACM from about 10:30AM - 2PM to receive food. If you would like to drop off donations on that day, please contact the EACM office so we have enough folks on hand to manage the volume.
Last thought around food insecurity: EACM serves a lot of our neighbors who don't qualify for food stamps. Yet, housing, utility, auto, childcare, and food costs equate to more than the monthly income covers. Our pantry's inventory gets by pretty well in comparison to many others, but with an increased need from newly economically unstable households the scales will tip for us fast.
Thank you for supporting EACM as we help our neighbors keep food on the table!
Sincerely,
Carrie Gerard
Executive Director
