BELTON, Texas (KXXV) — A Belton food pantry is experiencing unprecedented demand as the federal government shutdown continues, with weekly visitors nearly doubling from 350 to 650 households over three years. Helping Hands Ministry's executive director Alicia Jallah reports serving 724 households last week, including 53 first-timers, and expects numbers to climb to 775 weekly if SNAP benefits are cut. Despite the challenges, increased community volunteer support is helping the organization prepare for the potential surge in families needing assistance.
- Helping Hands Ministry in Belton has seen demand nearly double from 350 households per week three years ago to an average of 650 households weekly this year, with military families increasingly seeking assistance.
- The food pantry served 724 households last week alone, including 53 first-time visitors, as the federal government shutdown approaches its fifth week.
- Officials expect demand to surge even higher to between 750-775 households per week if SNAP benefits are affected, but community volunteers are stepping up to help meet the growing need.
Check out the story:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A food pantry in Belton is experiencing a dramatic increase in families seeking assistance as the federal government shutdown approaches its fifth week, with officials bracing for even more demand if SNAP benefits are affected.
Alicia Jallah, executive director of Helping Hands Ministry in Belton, said the pantry has seen a significant jump in military families needing food assistance in recent weeks.
"We're seeing more military families coming through needing assistance," Jallah said.
When Jallah started with the organization a little more than three years ago, the pantry served about 350 households per week. This year, that number has nearly doubled to an average of 650 households weekly.
"When I first started we were serving about 350 households a week," Jallah said.
The numbers continue climbing as the federal shutdown drags on. In the past week alone, Jallah said the pantry served about 724 households, with 53 of them being first-time visitors.
"It makes me sad for our households facing that but it's also bittersweet that we need to be here but it's awesome that our community is here coming together so we can support these households," Jallah said.
With SNAP benefits potentially ending next week, Jallah expects demand to surge even higher.
"We're kind of anticipating in between 750 to 775 households per week which is a huge increase for us," Jallah said.
Despite the challenges ahead, Jallah remains optimistic about her team's ability to meet the growing need, thanks to increased community support.
"We're definitely seeing more of our community members show up and help us to make sure that these families are supported throughout this time," Jallah said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
