With the longest government shutdown in U.S. history stretching to Day 39, and on the heels of the Supreme Court granting President Donald Trump’s administration’s emergency order blocking a court order to fully fund SNAP benefits, the need for food has grown.
Government workers have not received a paycheck in a month, inflation is still causing sticker shock in grocery stores, and many in the area had their federal jobs cut earlier in the year, which has caused food insecurity to grow for many in the D.C. area.
Organizers at Saturday鈥檚 food pop-up giveaway, which was jointly hosted in Arlington, Virginia, by and Walker Chapel United Methodist Church, said they鈥檝e never seen longer lines.
鈥淲e had folks who were showing up for the first time because they’ve been furloughed,鈥� said pastor Teer Hardy.
The furloughed government workers stood in a line that wrapped around the parking lot off Glebe Road with families who work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
鈥淚t really is a melting pot of our community here in the parking lot,鈥� Hardy said.
The food pop-up has been going for nearly 20 years on the second Saturday of the month in the parking lot at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church.
鈥淚t’s like a fifth day of worship for us,鈥� said Greg Hitt, one of the organizers.
Along with the 450 cartons of eggs and cans of tuna that the churches gave out, Hitt said the Capital Area Food Bank provided 720 pounds of jalapeno peppers, 1,000 pounds of green peppers, 2,625 pounds of sweet potatoes, and a 4,000-pound pallet of onions, potatoes and cabbages.
Pastor Sarah Keeling, of Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, said that the need has grown since January, where they would have enough food to give out to 300 families and today, it has jumped to 450.
鈥淲e can measure how our economy is doing based off this line,鈥� Keeling said. 鈥淧eople are still willing to come out here in these huge numbers, even when they’re afraid of deportations.鈥�
The food giveaway is set up like a farmers market.
鈥淲e really want it to feel it is something you can come with dignity and not feel bad or ashamed,鈥� said Keeling.
Hardy said the second Saturday of the month is not only meaningful to him, but also his children and parishioners.
鈥淛esus gave us two rules. We love God and we love our neighbor, and then we repeat that over and over and over again,鈥� Hardy said. 鈥淭his is how we do that.鈥�
Along with donations and volunteers, both Pastors pointed out they need interpreters who speak Spanish, Korean and Vietnamese.
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