The Urban League and Partners Stepped Up to Feed Hundreds as Government Shutdown Continues

As the federal shutdown stretches on, families who depend on SNAP benefits and the businesses that serve them are at risk.

At the Piggly Wiggly parking lot on South Monroe Street, car after car lined up for boxes of food filled with fresh produce, protein, and bread.

The Tallahassee Urban League (Tallahassee, FL), Second Harvest of the Big Bend, and local faith partners organized the giveaway to help families left without food assistance as the federal shutdown continues.

Urban League President Curtis Taylor says the Urban League and its partners distributed food to more than 600 people Friday (November 7th).

“A lot of people don't know what it means to be hungry, or to know that I don't know where my next meal is coming from,” Taylor said.

But the effects go beyond hunger. Neighborhood grocery stores say they are feeling the strain too.

With SNAP payments paused, fewer customers are shopping, which means less revenue and fewer hours for workers who rely on those same benefits to survive.

Roy Moore has co-owned his Quincy Piggly Wiggly for 20 years and the southwest Tallahassee location for six. He says the shutdown has created a chain reaction of challenges.

“Supermarkets in our area for sure, it's just like it's very well needed. It's a big part of our business and when something happens to that revenue it affects the whole. It's like a domino effect. It affects the business and then it affects the employees that work with us and quite naturally it affects the community,” Moore said.

The Florida Department of Children and Families confirms that SNAP benefits remain reduced while the shutdown continues.

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