BLYTHEWOOD – As the government shutdown moves into the second month, people who depend on SNAP and other government subsidies are running out of food …and some of those people live in Blythewood.
Town council members stepped up Monday night during a special called council meeting to talk about what the Town can do to help.
“With the government shutdown and benefits and income ending, I think it would be good for us to come together and do a project as a council,” said Blythewood Councilwoman Andrea Fripp who initiated the endeavor last week in support of those in the community in need of food during the shutdown.
Mayor Pro Tem Donald Brock followed up with an editorial in The Voice, calling for the Blythewood community to come together to support their neighbors in need through a community-wide food drive benefiting the Christian Assistance Bridge Food Bank (CAB).
“During the months of November through January, we invite all residents, schools, churches, and local businesses to join hands and help ensure that no family in our community goes hungry due to the government shutdown, which does have an impact right her in Blythewood.”
According to Kate Williams, director of CAB, rising costs and economic challenges have left many households in the community struggling to put food on the table.
Fripp said Monday night that she has already reached out to CAB, KJ’s and Food Lion to see what options might be available for the town to partner with them through financial donations or matching opportunities.
She said KJ’s and Food Lion are providing grocery bags of non-perishable food items at low cost for customers to purchase and that are then donated to CAB. She said at KJ’s, those grocery bags of food cost only $6 or $7 per bag.
“As of now, KJ’s has donated 128 of these bags [of groceries] to CAB,” Fripp said.
Fripp said after the meeting that KJ’s has also donated 10 large frozen turkeys to CAB for distribution to families in need. The turkeys were on sale for .19c/pound with a $25 purchase. To be eligible for that low price, customers must be registered for the store’s discount program.
Fripp said the town could buy those turkeys in bulk through KJ’s.
“I’m just trying to get a general idea as to what we want to do. Do we want to make a financial donation or do we want to do a matching?”
Councilman McKenrick suggested a time frame for the Town to help would be from the rest of November through January.
“My thought is that we don’t just want to assist for Thanksgiving and Christmas, people need to eat every day,” Fripp said.
“I’m all in favor of it,” McKenrick said. “I think it’s a great idea, and certainly something council can get behind.”
Mayor Sloan Griffin suggested council continue to research what could be done and email their suggestions to Fripp.
The consensus was to come back with a plan of action to vote on at the Nov, 24 regular council meeting.