This post was provided by News Now Warsaw

By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw

WARSAW — It’s crunch time at Combined Community Services.

CCS was already seeing an increase in demand for food in recent months, due to various reasons, but then the government shutdown came

And that led to the first-ever disruption of SNAP, the government’s biggest food assistance program, which has addedd a fresh sense of intensity with the holidays just around the corner.

“The impact really has been immediate,” said Kiira Churchhill, executive director for CCS.

Churchill on Wednesday said that 265 families needing food had used the CCS pantry on Monday and Tuesday, the first days after SNAP benefits expired.

“Over 40 percent of those families were on SNAP at some point in the last few months, and 11 of those families were brand new to CCS, had never used services before,” Churchill said.

“This week definitely marks a new, challenging season for many of us who are in the non-profit realm,” Churchill said. “But especially for those of us who serve food.”

Churchill was joined by Amy Pitt, a caseworker with CCS, for this week’s In The Now, the public affairs show you can hear this weekend on Kensington Digital Media radio stations.

While a judge ordered the Trump Administration on Thursday to resume full SNAP benefits, some delays are expected before the new flow of benefits begins to move.

Churchill and Pitt were asked whether the additional pressures are making it more difficult to satisfy the normal holiday demand.

“We are faith-based and we know the Lord will provide,” Pitt said.

One of CCS’s holiday programs is Adopt-A-Family, which matches families with other families who want to provide Christmas gifts.

On Wednesday, families seeking to be recipients of the program began lining up 90 minutes before doors opened at CCS on Wednesday morning

“That demonstrates need,” Pitt said. “If you’re going to come and stand in line for a couple of hours, to try to have your family adopted for Christmas. “Families want to provide for their children and have those holiday memories and holiday experiences.”

The next phase of the program involves families who will adopt a family for Christmas, she said.

Food A Thon, the annual two-day event, is Friday and Saturday at CCS offices on Mariners Drive and is intended to generate food to help families while children are at a home for the holiday break.

CCS is seeing financial support as well as a full range of food.

Churchill said they are seeing more signs of increased homelessness in the community and that they expect an increased demand for assistance with rising utility bills this winter.

This week’s show also looks at Churchill’s return to CCS earlier this year in a new role and other programs at CCS.

You can learn more about CCS here.

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The post Demand grows over loss of SNAP benefits as CCS launhes annual holiday programs appeared first on News Now Warsaw.