Food is Essential: An Update from the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia

In light of the most recent news, the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia is updating our original call to action issued on October 28, 2025, which can be read on our website here.

Imagine waking up one day and your grocery budget disappears. That has been our neighbors’ experience.

After more than a month, legislation was finally passed last Wednesday to restore funding for the federal government and end the shutdown, including USDA and federal food and nutrition programs like SNAP, WIC and TEFAP. In Georgia, we expect full SNAP benefits to be issued to recipients as early as Monday, November 17.

However, we are still witnessing a desperate level of need, with our Members sharing 35-50% increases in the numbers of households served month-over-month – which was already at a record high. We are seeing new faces and learning new names, and it is our honor to stand in the gap with our neighbors and with you.

In direct response to our neighbors’ ongoing food crisis, our plan is still in motion. The Food Bank remains in recovery mode, because our neighbors have not yet recovered from this setback.

Food is essential, and what is essential cannot be negotiable. We won’t slow down, because we can’t slow down. We will continue our increased food purchasing into December, providing the volume needed to serve more households through our Member and mobile distribution network.

The Food Bank has revised our estimated food budget through calendar year-end from $500,000 to $1 million, in direct response to serving more households and individuals.

Thank you for your response to our initial call to action! We have been in awe of the outpouring of support from across our region, bringing us more than halfway to our fundraising goal.

Let’s stay together on this journey knowing that, as we gather around holiday tables, our neighbors are doing the same.

If you haven’t already, please consider joining us as a “Fork Lifter” monthly contributor or support our work with an additional gift. Every $100 donated provides 250 meals. Your generosity translates directly to our ability to connect neighbors with nourishing food.

Every Neighbor. With Enough Food. Every Day.