Copyright CBS News
At the Good Samaritans of Garland food pantry, the line stretches out the door as more families brace for the fallout from the ongoing government shutdown that's put millions of Texans' food assistance at risk. Linda Mitchell, 73, said she's survived a heart attack and cancer, but thinks that going hungry shouldn't be her next challenge. "Honestly, I do not understand how this could happen. It's just wrong. It's not right. It's not fair. It's not fair to the human beings," she said as she loaded groceries into her car. Standing beside her, Shantell Freeman called the pantry "our lifeline." She said she won't get her monthly SNAP benefits next month because Congress has yet to agree on a way to reopen the government. "It scares me and it's like where is my next meal going to come from. How am I going to provide for my kids, how am I going to provide for my family," Freeman said. North Texas families turn to food pantries amid SNAP uncertainty Nearly 3.5 million Texans receive SNAP benefits, including 1.7 million children — about one in every nine residents. That's left food banks across North Texas preparing for a surge in demand. Sara Kenefake, the executive director of Good Samaritans of Garland, told CBS News Texas that need began to grow in 2022 after COVID-19, calling it a "silent pandemic of food insecurity." "In this last year in particular, we're seeing more and more families coming in. We're 35 percent children in need now. These are families that are in dual income homes. We see generational homes doing everything they can and they need help," Kenefake said. She added that rising costs of living and reduced SNAP benefits have deepened the strain. Each month, the pantry helps about 5,000 families and sees between 500 and 600 new ones. Good Samaritans of Garland expands as need grows People can visit the Good Samaritans of Garland twice a month for boxes of meat, milk, fresh produce and canned goods, much of it provided by the North Texas Food Bank. Clarissa Clarke, government relations officer for the North Texas Food Bank, said, "Our 12-county food service area has about 460,000 people who are on SNAP. If those people don't get their SNAP benefits, they're going to go to one of our 500 partner agencies to get assistance." To handle the growing need, the Good Samaritans pantry plans to move next spring to the former Walnut Creek Branch Library, quadrupling its space. The agency said financial donations help it buy more food for struggling families. For Mitchell and Freeman, both relieved to have a place to turn, the pantry is more than a stopgap. "It makes me feel really, really good because it is truly a Godsend," Mitchell said. Their message for Washington is simple: "They need to sit down and come to an agreement because they're hurting their communities. They're hurting the whole United States of America," Freeman said. Mitchell added, "Quit playing games. Do your job." Watch Eye On Politics at 7:30 Sunday morning on CBS News Texas on air and streaming.
