Catholic Charities Community Program Services Health and Wellness Team recently visited the Our Lady of Mercy Food Pantry in Brownsville, Brooklyn to provide pantry guests with information on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including how to apply and eligibility. Our Health and Wellness Educators will be visiting food pantries across our Food Pantry Network throughout Brooklyn and Queens in the coming months.
SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families, so that they are able to purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency. Funds are provided via an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card with new benefits added each month.
Since the pandemic began, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has witnessed a 1,000 percent increase in food requests and has provided much-needed food packages and services at 49 Catholic Charities parish-based food pantries. In total, the agency distributed over $3.4 million in food assistance in 2020. In addition, Catholic Charities witnessed a 37 percent increase in clients in 2020, and continued to deliver mental health counseling, housing services, family services and early childhood education. For additional information, visit our website at www.ccbq.org.