As the federal SNAP food assistance program remains in limbo, one El Paso resident is stepping up to support both families in need and the small businesses that feed them.
Community organizer Nicole Roldan has partnered with a local grocery chain to create a gift card donation drive that’s already helped more than 250 households – and kept thousands of dollars circulating locally.
“I was heartsick over knowing there were so many people going without pay,” Roldan said. “But then, realizing that so many more would be losing access to food that they’d be counting on, I knew that the loss of those revenues would really affect grocers and local businesses.”
The grocer, Food City, depends heavily on customers who use electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards.
“Between 16% and 47% of their receipts come from EBT transactions, depending on the season and the year,” Roldan explained. “They already have the infrastructure, they already have a supply chain. And they already had gift cards that could be loaded up from donations. We tooled it quickly and were able to market it within 24 hours.”
So far, the effort has raised more than $10,000. Demand, however, has far outpaced donations, with more than 1,500 applications for aid in just two days.
Roldan hopes others across Texas replicate the idea: “It’s not meant to replace the efforts of food banks … but just a very quick way to protect the local businesses that are protecting from food deserts.”
