Food pantries facing high demand as holidays approach

SHALLOTTE, NC (WWAY) — It’s no secret the holidays can be expensive. And with so many unemployed from the pandemic, Brunswick Family Assistance says the need is astronomical.

The group serves between five and seven hundred families a month, not only feeding many in the community, but also offering assistance with rent, utilities, medication prescriptions, and transportation costs.

With United States unemployment hitting an all time high in April this year, many are out of work with no way to provide for their families, and often without health insurance in the midst of a pandemic.

Executive Director Stephanie Bowen says if that wasn’t enough, many in Brunswick county already suffered from poverty:

“There’s a cycle of poverty. Generational poverty is what it’s called. You see people who want to do better, and they want to live a better quality life, but they just don’t have the resources to do that. And so, to be able to have a place to go where you can close that gap if they can’t make ends meet, it means the world to them”

And that’s where Brunswick family assistance and many like it step in.

But with the holidays looming, they need more volunteers and donations than ever before.

If you’re interested in giving or need help, click this link for more information.