Now the chaos
in the SNAP program
and overall higher costs
have drawn more and more people
to seek help
from food pantries
including many
first-time visitors.
You've been
executive director
for five years.
How does this period
of time right now
compare to prior years?
There's no comparison.
This is the
I don't even want to say crazy
but it is crazy
how much need
there is right now.
So as I was looking at
numbers again
just from last week
serving close to 5,000 people
in a week.
We never thought we'd
be able to do that
and never thought
we need to do that.
But we're here
for the people that need us
through very dedicated
volunteers and
a very devoted staff.
Another heartbreaking thing
yes, we do see a lot of first-ti
Last week was
81 households had
never been here before
came for the
very first time.
To see the
looks on their face
they're frightened.
They don't know what to do
or what to expect.
And for many of them
they're feeling shame
and they're making
telling us that
I'm sorry that I'm here
and apologizing for being here.
And we greet them with a smile.
You saw Kevin
here is our registry
registering clients
and greeting them
with a smile
and with telling
it's OK. We're here
we're going to help you.