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Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is calling on San Antonians to help feed fellow San Antonians in need as SNAP benefits were scheduled to be paused on Saturday.
Two separate federal judges on Friday, however, ordered the Trump Administration to continue SNAP funding. The organization Feeding Texas said the rulings won't have immediate impact because "there is currently no confirmed timeline or assurance regarding when—or even if—payments will be issued."
Jones held a news conference on the steps of city hall on Friday to ask for businesses and residents to give to the Feeding San Antonio Fund through the San Antonio Area Foundation website.
Donate here: Feeding San Antonio Fund
"No person in our community should be going hungry in San Antonio," the mayor said. "We are doing everything we can to make sure families have the support they need during this very difficult time."
A dozen San Antonio companies have already contributed $1.6 million dollars to the fund. The mayor said $150 HEB gift cards will be distributed soon to 11,000 families, thanks to the fund. More details about the distribution of the cards is expected to be released later.
Ortiz Jones said 130,000 local households rely on SNAP benefits that go away this weekend due to the government shutdown.
She said it's time for the federal government to "get back up and running."
"This is just needless suffering and, unfortunately, falling on the backs of the most vulnerable in our community," she said.
The mayor said it will be hard to sustain funding for the local hungry without the federal government. She said monthly SNAP funding to San António amounts to $50,000.
