The Bryan Public Library is collecting food for families
WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – This bucket sits empty right now, but workers at the Bryan Public Library are hoping that it will soon be full of food items for the public.
The library is collecting nonperishable, shelf-stable, and baby food for local food pantries.
“At this time, with snap benefits being in limbo,” said Jayme Evans, Youth Librarian Services at Bryan Public Library. “We want to make sure that everyone is able to get food. Nobody should not have the ability.”
According to the Mississippi Department of Human Services, more than 350,000 people depend on SNAP benefits.
Youth Services Librarian Jayme Evans says the thought of those people wondering where their next meal will come from did not sit too well with the library.
“We do have people that we know who are on snap benefits, and we have elderly people that come through constantly,” said Evans. “The thought of seeing our patrons not having food, and the thought of people not having food that we do not see, was just too much for us not to step in and help.”
The approaching holidays add extra worry to SNAP recipients.
Evans said she hopes this helps ease some of that stress.
“We hope that this will help our food pantries because we know that they will be stretched beyond repair this time when people are unable to get food,” said Evans. “We are also hoping that this will help the community come together and make sure that everybody is able to eat, especially with the holidays, and people are having to consider, will we have Thanksgiving, and will we have Christmas?”
If you would like to donate to the library, you can drop off food Monday through Thursday from 10 am to 6 pm, or on Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm.
