‘Speechless’: Tacoma, WA aid group braces for SNAP surge as requirements tighten
Tacoma food bank expands door-to-door service as feds tighten SNAP rules
As federal officials consider new rules for SNAP benefits, a Tacoma food bank is struggling to meet rising demand and expanding its reach by delivering food directly to families in need.
TACOMA, Wash. - As federal officials weigh new requirements for SNAP benefits, one Tacoma food bank is racing to keep pace with surging demand and taking its services directly to people’s doorsteps.
Eloise’s Cooking Pot Food Bank, part of the Making a Difference Foundation, is packaging hundreds of Thanksgiving boxes as supplies run low. Each one contains not just staples, but the makings of a full holiday meal.
We talk with Ahndrea Blue about her Making a Difference foundation and the challenges community members are facing now.
Ahndrea Blue of Making a Difference foundation
Blue says each package holds dozens of items, but recipients also get protein like a full turkey and fresh vegetables like a sack of russet potatoes, enough to feed a family of four.
She says holiday demand is always high.
New SNAP requirements spark concern
Blue says any potential change to SNAP eligibility will only increase pressure.
Starting next month, more adults who receive SNAP benefits will be required to work, volunteer or participate in job training for at least 80 hours a month.
If someone doesn’t meet that requirement, they can only receive benefits for three months. Although those work requirements are waived for November, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the new rules could reduce the monthly number of SNAP recipients by approximately 2.5 million people over the next decade. The White House says the changes are aimed at reducing alleged waste and fraud.
"With this, now new, SNAP requirement, I’m just speechless," Blue said. Her foundation expects to fill the gaps. "In this great country, people shouldn’t have to worry about what they’re going to eat."
Although SNAP benefits have resumed following the recent federal government shutdown, Blue says her food bank has not gotten a reprieve from the incoming holiday demand.
By the numbers:
In October alone, Eloise’s Cooking Pot served more than 113,000 people. They buy about 60% of the food they distribute, and two trucks delivered Thanksgiving supplies on Nov. 17 at a cost of $50,000. Their next truckload won’t come until mid-December.
Hitting the road to reach people faster
Eloise's Cooking Pot delivery van
Rather than waiting for people to queue up, the organization has expanded its home delivery program. Blue invited FOX 13 along for a ride-along as pallets were loaded up.
"Especially when the government was shut down and nobody really knew what was going on, so many families were grateful just to have the extra support," said Marcus Brewer, a delivery driver.
He makes stops across Tacoma, at least 50 per day. Blue says the foundation is also partners with Amazon and DoorDash. Amazon can deliver up to 1,000 boxes, and DoorDash can do more than 300.
"It’s really nice when you get to deliver a box to somebody that just looks at you and is really grateful for it. You don’t know how much it helps right now," said Brewer.
For some families, delivery makes all the difference
"For them to be able to just come out and deliver that is such a help," said Sheree Staples, a client who is recovering from illness. Staples is a grandmother who believes home delivery is vital to the community, especially at the end of the month when benefits run out.
"With the administration now it’s devastating to everybody," she added.
Blue says that’s exactly why her team keeps pushing.
"I wanted viewers to understand the love, the labor that it takes to get that box to their house," she said.
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