New Birth Missionary Baptist Church helps feed 2K amid SNAP shutdown

New Birth provides food to 2K amid shutdown

On Nov. 1, the day SNAP benefits were suspended due to the ongoing government shutdown and limited funding, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church stepped in to provide food to 2,000 families.

STONECREST, Ga. - Thousands of people lined up at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church overnight, hoping for some much-needed assistance putting food on the table as SNAP benefits were suspended amid the government shutdown.

Hundreds of volunteers turned out to help feed at least 2,000 families.

What they're saying:

"It's mind boggling," Brittany Buchanan said. "We know how we'll survive because we work, but it's a big change. It affects a lot. It affects everybody in the household."

Buchanan and her family are one of the 1.5 million people in Georgia who receive SNAP benefits.

"It's truly a blessing to have people like this that do things for the community and what not," she added.

"We typically serve 1,000 families on a Saturday. We prepared for 2,000, and before we ever started we had well over 2,000 families in line," said Dr. Carla Stokes, Executive Pastor of Ministries and Outreach at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

As the community works to support each other, Stonecrest Mayor Jazzmin Cobble assured citizens the fight is not over.

"Just standby. We are working hard from every angle: our faith-based organizations, our local government, our county government, our federal government. Your representatives here in Georgia are working extremely hard to make sure we fill in the gap," Cobble said.

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"I want people to know that this is not the end, but this is the beginning of a new era – an era of helping, an era of community, coming together," Dr. Stokes added. "And that they're not alone."