LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas families are increasingly relying on food banks as concerns grow over potential cuts to SNAP benefits, with some residents already experiencing reduced assistance.
At the Society of St. Stephen food bank with Trinity United Methodist Church in the Central Valley, dozens of people lined up early Monday for groceries, many citing concerns about their food assistance programs.
VIDEO: Geneva Zoltek talks to families in need of food assistance after SNAP funding delays
Monica Buchanan, a Las Vegas local, waited in line for about an hour after discovering zero dollars in her SNAP account. It was her first time visiting a food bank.
 KTNV | "It's depressing and I just, you know, there's nothing I really can do but have a voice about it and that's why I'm talking right now because if we don't talk or stand, who will?" Monica Buchanan
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"I knew it was real when I woke up this morning, no SNAP," Buchanan said. "I've never been to it before, so I just gave it a try because I need the help."
Buchanan, who supports a household of 10 people, including 4 of her own children and 6 grandchildren she's raising, said her usual $1,500 in SNAP benefits typically lasts about half a month.
"That would cover for about 2.5 weeks, almost 3, and then we can make do with the rest," Buchanan said. "It's depressing and I just, you know, there's nothing I really can do but have a voice about it and that's why I'm talking right now because if we don't talk or stand, who will?"
Every Monday, St. Stephen's provides supplies to 60 to 80 people who wait in line for roughly a week's worth of groceries. Visitors receive numbers and are served in order.
Siaju Brown, another person waiting in line, said his family is also impacted by SNAP cuts. His father is retired, his mother is disabled, and he is also disabled.
"Everybody needs food, obviously. What about the kids that are starving?" Siaju Brown
|  Geneva Zoltek |
"We don't know what's going to happen, so we come to these food banks to help get food for the house," Brown said. "Everybody needs food, obviously. What about the kids that are starving?"
For Buchanan, the emotional toll extends beyond her own struggles. She described the difficulty of explaining to children why there's no money for groceries.
"Mom, Grandma, you going shopping? Mom, you going shopping? And you have to look at your kids and tell them no, you're not because you didn't get benefits or you didn't get stamps, and then see the look on their face and they're hurt like what?" Buchanan said. "You're not going shopping and it's sad, you know. So I can see a lot of parents going through that and it's a hurtful thing to look at your kids and tell them that you can't go get food right now."
While St. Stephen's accepts donations, most of its supply comes from Three Square food bank.
Last week, Channel 13 spoke with Pastor Jennifer Hagemen who said even that supply has been reduced in recent months.
At this particular food bank, locals can only visit once a month to sustain operations. A ministry assistant said the food bank is intended as temporary aid and expressed concerns about meeting higher demand as families become more stretched thin and the future of food stamps remains unclear.
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