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Foodlink to distribute extra food next week

It looks like the federal government will not be shut down again, but some problems remain.

Some families are facing a 50-day gap in between SNAP payments after getting their February benefits early because of the shutdown.

SNAP benefits are used to buy food, and organizations like Foodlink are concerned that the gap between payments will cause some people to run out of food faster.

To help those families, Foodlink will distribute additional food to 14 locations throughout western New York.

Foodlink President Julia Tedesco said most SNAP benefits are spent in under 21 days.

“These emergency food distributions really are a stopgap measure to impact families that have been impacted by the government shutdown,” Tedesco said. “We know that they can’t serve everybody, but we hope that we can serve at least 250 households at each distribution. And it’s really a first-come, first-serve basis.”

She said needy families are typically strained in mid-February and the gap doesn’t help.

“We know a lot of area schools are shut down for winter break,” Tedesco said. “And families have an increased demand to feed their children two more meals per day that they normally receive in school. So that, coupled with the strain on SNAP benefits due to the shutdown, made it an ideal week to make sure there was some emergency assistance for families.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that SNAP benefits will get next month’s benefits no later than March 7, which is about one week earlier than scheduled. The early release is intended to ease the burden on recipients that had to stretch February’s benefits for more than six weeks because of the federal government shutdown.

Foodlink’s food pantries, several recreation centers in the city of Rochester and locations across the region will distribute the extra food at the following sites starting next Monday.

 
2/18 David Gantt R Center 700 North St., Rochester 10a-12p

2/19* South Seneca Food Pantry 7137 Main St., Ovid 3-5p

2/19 Adams R Center 85 Adams St., Rochester 4-6p

2/19* Bergen First Presbyterian Church 38 South Lake St., Bergen 4:15-6:15p

2/20 Alfred Wellsville Campus 2530 River Road, Wellsville 2-3:30p

2/20* Community Christian Church 2647 Chili Ave., Rochester 4-5:30p

2/20 Salvation Army 100 West Ave., Rochester 4-6p

2/21 School 17 R Center 158 Orchard St., Rochester 4-6p

2/21* Rushville United Methodist Church 46 N. Main St., Rushville 5-6:30p

2/21* Covenant Life 1574 Hennessey Road, Ontario 5-7p

2/22* Belmont Fire Hall 80 Schuyler St., Belmont 3-5p

2/22 Ryan R Center 530 Webster Ave., Rochester 4-6p

2/22* Starkey Town Barn 656 Dundee-Glenora Road, Dundee 4-6p

2/23* Springwater Fire Department 8145 S. Main St., Springwater 10-11:30a

* Denotes a regularly scheduled Mobile Pantry site with additional pantry packs to meet an increased need. 

James Brown is a reporter with WXXI News. James previously spent a decade in marketing communications, while freelance writing for CITY Newspaper. While at CITY, his reporting focused primarily on arts and entertainment.