High Plains Food Bank helping families receive SNAP benefits, Medicaid

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The High Plains Food Bank not only feeds struggling families, the organization also offers social services assistance, helping people in need receive food stamps and medicaid.

The food bank offers application assistance for any state benefits in Texas.

HPFB helps clients gather their documentation and properly fill out their applications so they may receive help as quickly as possible.

For many clients, this year is the first time they’ve needed state assistance.

Due to the pandemic, one client went from making a six-figure income to no income at all.

“This individual had no idea where to start, where to go, how to get help. They lost their vehicles (and) they lost their home,” shared Nellie Ramon, social services coordinator for the High Plains Food Bank. “Just to be able to help them with the process of the application and letting them know what all they needed to do next and what all they needed to complete their application...they were very appreciative. They were actually overwhelmed and brought to tears.”

HPFB is currently providing application assistance over the phone, making the process much more difficult.

However, the food bank has been able to help over double the amount of clients this year compared to last year.

The social services branch also has a referral specialist who helps with any other type of assistance people may need.

“Every quarter she’ll check in with these clients and say ‘hey, what do you have going on besides food that we can help you with?’ She has gotten clients housed very quickly. She’s has gotten medical assistance for clients, she has gotten employment... she goes above and beyond,” said Ramon.

At Community Worship Center in Perryton, food stamps are not enough for some families.

Not only do they benefit from state assistance, but they also receive meals from the food bank’s deliveries.

Associate pastor for the church, Jason Vanosdol, says the food bank is the reason families can eat.

‘When we started the program we started it with the idea of it being just a supplemental, to add to what they already had,” said Vanosdol. “We have more and more people now telling me that this is kind of becoming their main source of food for the week. We’ve seen people losing jobs with the oil field and COVID related stuff, we have more and more people where this is really becoming what they rely on.”

If you would like to help struggling families, you can purchase a scan tag from United, Amigos or Market Street.

At checkout, tell the cashier you would like to buy a scan tag and whatever donation amount you chose will be added directly to your shopping cart total.

These funds allow the High Plains Food Bank to purchase canned food at a cheaper cost, as well as fund programs like application assistance.

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