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Local pantry urges continued funding, ties food aid to health and economic benefits
Summary
Love Thy Neighbor Food Pantry representatives asked supervisors to continue funding, citing USDA research linking food security to health outcomes and economic returns from SNAP benefits.
Ryan Ragsdale, director of Love Thy Neighbor Food Pantry in King George, told the Board of Supervisors that the pantry needs continued county support to keep families healthy and economically productive.
"Lower food security is associated with higher probability of each of the chronic diseases examined," Ragsdale summarized from a U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service report he cited. He said people who struggle to afford food are more likely to rely on high‑calorie, low‑nutrient options and that chronic disease can force people out of the workforce.
Ragsdale also cited research on the economic effect of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, saying, "multiple nationwide studies of SNAP... have found that every dollar the government provides in SNAP food benefits translates to a dollar and 79 cents injected back into the economy." He told supervisors that the pantry serves residents across all districts and thanked the board for prior funding.
During public comment, volunteer Sonja Gallahan also spoke in support of the pantry and brought homemade food for some board members; she identified herself as a long‑time local volunteer.
Neither pantry leader proposed a specific dollar figure in the work‑session public comment, but both asked the board to maintain or increase support so the pantry can continue to supply healthy food and to reduce downstream public‑assistance costs tied to chronic disease.
