"The ladies all come in and go, 'guess what I did with those plums I got last time?' We share recipes, we talk and it's like a big family,"
"Right now and we've been doing this for a while we limit canned goods. We didn't have to do that in the beginning because we didn't have that many people coming through."
"I think the telltale is that every time we're opening, we are getting new clients maybe one, maybe two, maybe three. Just a steady increase. They come in, they're embarrassed 'I never thought I would be in this position.' You know, a lot of people are in the same position you're in, and that's why we're here."
Volunteers Chris Jones and Mary Ann Edwards operate the Llano Food Pantry in central Texas, where recipients gather early to chat and community members donate produce. Four years ago weekly clients numbered 15–20; current weekly clients average about 100. The pantry limits canned goods now because demand increased. Clientele includes young families, people with disabilities, and the elderly, with few current SNAP recipients. Rising food costs and a possible lapse in SNAP funding threaten to add more clients. Pantry volunteers report steady increases in new clients and plan to manage demand week to week.
Read at www.npr.org
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