KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church holds its mobile food pantry on the second Saturday of each month. November’s edition was busier than usual.
“That’s concerning,” said Marion Halim, who coordinates the event for the church.
“And it’s kind of emotional because it makes you see the need that is there and how the people are caught up in something that they had nothing to do with.”
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Halim said cars started lining up three hours before the pantry opened, with a line of cars starting at the church and stretching nearly a half mile down the road, ending near Benton Boulevard.
“It’s plenty of people needing food,” said Daphne Crystal, the first in line for those who came by foot.
Crystal is a SNAP recipient and says that she and those around her are struggling while they aren’t receiving payments.
“I’m a single lady, but I need the food,” she said.
“We all have to eat. And this is beautiful, what they do every month for us.”
Cars drove through the parking lot with their trunks open, as volunteers would load up bananas, apples, potatoes and other groceries. Halim says it’s a larger volunteer crowd than usual too.
“Today we are overflowing with volunteers. And so a lot of people have a lot of feelings about, you know, helping our brother or sister or, you know, our little babies.”
Crystal loaded her cart and went to share the food with those around her.
“I have a couple of neighbors that I give food to and will give them some today, too,” she said.
“And they, you know, they’re struggling. They don’t have food stamps coming in.”
The help that MMBC can provide is limited, but Halim says it’s been a huge need in her community. Harvesters Food Network says that even before the government shut down, there was more food insecurity in our region than they’ve seen in a decade.
“It may not fill up the refrigerator, but at least, you know, it’s one of those shelves where they’re not opening to an empty refrigerator,” Halim said.
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It’s still unclear when SNAP benefits will be released in Missouri, whereas across the state line, Kansans received their full payments on Friday. For Crystal, the situation is clear. The longer this goes on, the more people will go hungry.
“They’re trying to starve us, the government is,” she said.
“Open the government up and quit being so stupid.”
Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church says their permanent food pantry will be open on Tuesday, and the mobile food pantry will be back on the second Saturday in December.
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