Jessica Francis ’01 interviewed by 5 Eyewitness News about food shelves preparing for loss of SNAP benefits
Francis studied religion at Carleton.
Jessica Francis ’01, executive director of Open Cupboard, was interviewed by 5 Eyewitness News (KSTP, ABC) for a piece titled, “Food shelves ‘can’t possibly absorb’ need as 1.1 million brace for loss of SNAP benefits in Minnesota, Wisconsin.”
Open Cupboard Executive Director Jessica Francis met 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS at its Oakdale Today’s Harvest free market location on Saturday. Francis is also a board member for the St. Croix Valley Food Bank.
“It has felt like it felt at the beginning of the pandemic,” Francis said.
Volunteers have already been serving 450-600 people a day here, she said, adding that they’re noticing a rise recently, including more first-time visitors.
“We were already, over the last few weeks, starting to see families that are affected by the shutdown, you know, families that are either furloughed or they are still working but not getting paid,” Francis said.
“Then this last week, when they announced that SNAP benefits are going to end, because they’re not funded for November, it’s just — it’s taken us from, you know, a system that’s bending to a system that could be breaking.”