The Children’s Trust of Alachua County (CTAC) announced that it has allotted $150,000 to support Alachua County families impacted by the recent lapse in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
“Food insecurity is at an all-time high, and it’s important that we assist families when they need it most,” Marsha Kiner, executive director of the CTAC, said in a press release. “Our Family Resource Centers are working hard to provide food assistance, in addition to essential resources such as clothing, hygiene items, and help with rent or utilities. Offering these supports can help ease the challenges families are facing.”
Of the $150,000 that the CTAC is allocating, the release stated that $125,000 has been designated for emergency food distribution. Bread of the Mighty has received an initial payment of $20,000 to start supplying CTAC-funded family resource centers with up to 150 food boxes a week.
“The Children’s Trust proudly supports multiple family resource centers (FRCs) across the county in collaboration with Partnership for Strong Families,” the release said. “These sites aid visitors in securing their most vital needs, such as food, clothing, financial literacy, afterschool programs, employability skills, and more.”
For more information, including upcoming distribution dates and times, visit https://www.childrenstrustofalachuacounty.us/communications/page/emergency-food-initiative.
Giving away money to replace snap benefits is not the mission of the Children’s Trust. I will never vote for this again.
They got their benefits back retroactive and most of the recipients don’t appear to have missed many meals in their lives. I am 100% against this Trust from this point forward.
Apparently, the Children’s Trust has decided its true calling isn’t helping children anymore it’s pretending to be a replacement SNAP program. Because when a system fails, the obvious solution is to grab a completely unrelated organization, light taxpayer money on fire, and call it “innovation.”
Let’s be clear: giving away money to backfill SNAP benefits is not the mission of the Children’s Trust. It never was. But why let purpose, accountability, or basic common sense get in the way of a good virtue-signaling photo op? Who needs outcomes when you can just redistribute cash and pat yourself on the back?
This isn’t compassion it’s laziness. It’s officials avoiding the hard work of fixing broken policy and instead hijacking a children’s program to cover their failures. Taxpayers didn’t agree to fund a political band-aid, and children certainly don’t benefit from an agency that has completely forgotten why it exists.
I will never vote for this again. Not because I don’t care but because I care enough to call out stupidity when it’s dressed up as generosity. This isn’t leadership. It’s incompetence with a press release.