City of Demopolis gives $5,000 to Demopolis Food Pantry to cover SNAP gap

The City of Demopolis on Monday approved giving $5,000 to the Demopolis Food Pantry to cover the cost to feed an expected growing number of residents in need after the loss of federal SNAP benefits on Nov. 1.

In the special meeting Monday where the new council was sworn in at Rooster Hall, Mayor Woody Collins said the city supports Alabama’s federal representatives Rep. Tommy Tuberville and Sen. Katie Britt to get a government budget approved and return funding for SNAP benefits.

But until then, Demopolis needs to help fill the gap for those who lost funds to buy food, Collins said.

“I’m very concerned about young people and the disabled who depend on government programs in this community, and I would rather have anything in this world happen than have any citizen in this community go to bed hungry,” Collins said.

Council members approved the request to give $5,000 from the general fund to Demopolis Food Pantry that operates at 410 N. Main Street across from Trinity Episcopal Church that oversees the agency.

Demopolis is one of the first cities in the Black Belt to approve additional funds to assist residents through the loss of SNAP benefits during a lingering government shutdown.

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Organizers and volunteers from the food pantry attended the council meeting to accept the check. One of the lead organizers, Drew Cargile, said they will use the funds to supplement items given by the Selma Area Food Bank once a month that goes toward serving 175 Demopolis people each Wednesday morning. 

This Wednesday, Cargile anticipates a bigger turnout of people in need, which will deplete inventory faster and prompt the need to buy more items sooner. The Demopolis Food Pantry buys from Vowell’s and the Butcher Shop in town to add to items given by Selma Area Food Bank for the weekly giveaways. They give out bags with about 10 items each, including canned goods, noodles or black-eyed peas and a frozen meat.

If the pantry gets 50 additional people in need this week, the $5,000 will be really needed to “bless the stretch,” Cargile said.

“People are worried. Many depend on Social Security and food stamps and it’s all they have,” he said. “Coming here tides them over a little until the next check gets here.”

The Demopolis Food Pantry has a group of dedicated volunteers there for the 6:30-8:30 a.m. giveaways every Wednesday, including Cargile who works at the paper mill and owns Demopolis Fitness when he’s not working the pantry.

Residents wanting a bag of groceries are asked to fill out a one-page intake form to show income.