A tremendous lack of food is what Giving Hope Food Pantry said it is facing after the USDA cut more than a billion dollars in funding.Giving Hope’s chief of operations, Betty Thomas, said the nonprofit provides food for more than 12,000 people across the city of New Orleans, and the slash in federal dollars is hurting their cause and greatly impacting a city that’s already struggling to fight food insecurity.”It’s impacting a lot of lives. Their question to me is, what do they do? This warehouse is usually filled on both sides with four rows of pallets about six foot high of food,” said Thomas.The pantry is now bare, and according to Thomas, the next food shipment won’t meet the need.”That can’t feed nobody. So I’m like, are they serious? As opposed to 22,000 pounds of food on an 18-wheeler, Monday I’m getting 5,000,” said Thomas. According to reports, roughly 1 in 7 people in the state are food insecure, and city data shows that in New Orleans, more than 62,000 people are food insecure.Betty Rollins relies on pantries and said the changes are palpable. “They’re starting to not have enough, so anywhere where someone is giving something that can bless a home,” said Rollins.Faith leaders including Pastor Jonathan Everett of Rock of Ages are working to fill the gap, providing boxes of food to the community. “We gave out over 100,000 pounds. We’ve been able to provide boxes for at least two thousand families,” said Everett.He said it’s his responsibility to help anyone in need.”As long as we’re meeting needs and answering problems, that’s our sole purpose,” said Everett.As some families wait to see where their next meal will come from, Thomas is hoping for a miracle to help people put food on the table. “We’re giving hope, and we’re supposed to be giving people hope,” said Thomas. She added that the cuts have also caused a domino effect, and because there’s no food to distribute, there’s no work for the employees and volunteers.According to Thomas, she had to send workers home after a morning distribution because there were no duties left to fulfill at the distribution site.
A tremendous lack of food is what Giving Hope Food Pantry said it is facing after the USDA cut more than a billion dollars in funding.
Giving Hope’s chief of operations, Betty Thomas, said the nonprofit provides food for more than 12,000 people across the city of New Orleans, and the slash in federal dollars is hurting their cause and greatly impacting a city that’s already struggling to fight food insecurity.
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“It’s impacting a lot of lives. Their question to me is, what do they do? This warehouse is usually filled on both sides with four rows of pallets about six foot high of food,” said Thomas.
The pantry is now bare, and according to Thomas, the next food shipment won’t meet the need.
“That can’t feed nobody. So I’m like, are they serious? As opposed to 22,000 pounds of food on an 18-wheeler, Monday I’m getting 5,000,” said Thomas.
According to reports, roughly 1 in 7 people in the state are food insecure, and city data shows that in New Orleans, more than 62,000 people are food insecure.
Betty Rollins relies on pantries and said the changes are palpable.
“They’re starting to not have enough, so anywhere where someone is giving something that can bless a home,” said Rollins.
Faith leaders including Pastor Jonathan Everett of Rock of Ages are working to fill the gap, providing boxes of food to the community.
“We gave out over 100,000 pounds. We’ve been able to provide boxes for at least two thousand families,” said Everett.
He said it’s his responsibility to help anyone in need.
“As long as we’re meeting needs and answering problems, that’s our sole purpose,” said Everett.
As some families wait to see where their next meal will come from, Thomas is hoping for a miracle to help people put food on the table.
“We’re giving hope, and we’re supposed to be giving people hope,” said Thomas.
She added that the cuts have also caused a domino effect, and because there’s no food to distribute, there’s no work for the employees and volunteers.
According to Thomas, she had to send workers home after a morning distribution because there were no duties left to fulfill at the distribution site.
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