Fishtown residents deliver food to neighbors amid SNAP benefits freeze

Courtney Kelly Peters walked through Fishtown on a dark and chilly evening, carrying a pound of penne pasta, meatballs and tomato sauce for a neighbor she had never met.

The food delivery was part of a grassroots initiative in the North Philadelphia neighborhood to help residents in need while the federal government shutdown prevents people from receiving food stamps.

“It’s something I always bring to my friends that have had new babies,” Kelly Peters said of the Italian meal. “This is a comfort food, and hopefully it brings some comfort in a [turbulent] time.”

Payments to the recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP, froze Saturday after the federal government failed to fund the program amid the shutdown.

The White House on Tuesday said it would comply with a court order to partially fund SNAP by tapping into a $5 billion contingency fund. However, people will only receive half of their usual benefit amount this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said this week, and many people are likely to receive even less. The process of replenishing the debit cards used to purchase groceries typically takes up to two weeks.

Food banks in Philadelphia, where more than 470,000 residents rely on SNAP, have seen an uptick in demand for their services. In response, Fishtown resident Tatiana Swedek took to Facebook to call upon residents to volunteer to purchase groceries for neighbors in need.

So far, about 45 people have signed up to volunteer for Swedek’s Fishtown Mutual Aid Meals initiative. Each volunteer is asked to buy or cook meals, and personally deliver the food items to residents who directly sign up to receive groceries.

“It’s just been really heartwarming to see,” Swedek said. “One person even picked up three weeks worth of groceries for a family in need.”

The volunteers have delivered food to about 25 households, feeding an estimated 80 adults and children.

One of the recipients is Rebecca Redner, who along with her husband, rely on SNAP to feed their 3-year-old son and provide formula for their 3-month-old daughter.

Though people who use SNAP are able to use the credits they received prior to the freeze, Redner’s were stolen last month. She didn’t find out until she reached the cash register at the grocery store, where her SNAP card was declined.

“I just broke down in the grocery store. Everybody saw me cry. I called welfare and they said there’s nothing they can do,” Redner said.

Her family’s only source of income is her husband’s Social Security, which he receives because he lives with a disability that prevents him from working.

“It was stressful. I started worrying about how I’m getting food, what is [my son] going to eat. I’m not worried about me as long as he eats,” Redner said.

Since then, she’s relied on food pantries to get food on the table. When she saw Swedek’s Facebook post, she signed up to get some support from the community. Over the weekend, a volunteer brought milk, bread, snacks, meat, diapers for the baby and an abundance of meals.

“I was overwhelmed with happiness knowing that there’s food and [my son] can eat and I don’t have to tell him, ‘You need to wait,’” Redner said. “So it was like the world came off my shoulders.”

Volunteer Kelly Peters said she’s impressed with the kind of support the community has shown.

“People are very interested in meeting their neighbors and helping them with their needs, no matter what walk of life they come from, their economic status, and we all can just bridge that gap and offer a sense of community that makes people feel like your neighbor has your back,” she said. “You can reach out, you’re not alone in whatever type of place in your life that you’re in.”

Anyone who wants to become a volunteer or recipient can contact fishtownmutualaid@gmail.com.