Westgate food giveaway sees long lines as organizers brace for federal cuts

Lines stretched for blocks at a free food distribution in the Westgate neighborhood, and some drivers waited more than three hours, volunteers and residents said, prompting organizers to warn that recent federal cuts to food assistance may push more people to rely on local giveaways.

The monthly distributions use surplus food supplied by the nonprofit FarmShare and are organized by the Westgate CRA and American Legion Post 141. The giveaways hand out items such as rice, beans, spaghetti and whole frozen chickens without formal paperwork, a distribution volunteer described, which attendees said is important in a mostly low-income neighborhood.

"Right now, the cost of food is so high that we can't afford to go out and purchase food. If it wasn't for them doing what they're doing, we would probably have hungry children in our home," one resident said. Another resident said, "Maybe we would have to do it more because, you know, the line is already crazy, and people are in line since 7, 8AM in the morning already."

Cheryl Khan, a reporter for WPB TV who attended the event, reported volunteers loading bags into trunks and onto seats as cars moved through the distribution point. Khan also reported concerns that an easing of federal food-assistance funding would increase demand beyond the organizers' supplies.

Organizers and volunteers said the distributions rely on surplus donations from FarmShare and the work of local volunteers and the American Legion post. Khan reported some undocumented residents expressed unease about coming to the distribution out of fear of a possible encounter with immigration agents.

Volunteers and organizers encouraged donations of food, money or time to expand capacity. For more information, the distribution referred people to FarmShare's website at farmshare.org.