ONTARIO, Oregon — Cuts to SNAP benefits are affecting many families in Ontario, Oregon. At the Red Apple Marketplace, they've created a program called "Groceries for Good" that seeks to ease food insecurity for those in need.
Jerry Courtney, produce manager at the Red Apple Marketplace in Ontario, says the mission is deeply personal.
"Don't get me started, children are my heart and that's it," said Courtney. "Good food, not junk, good food because they need it. You know, Mom and Pop— you can tough it up, you can try to make it— but your children, those children out there— they need help."
Lindsay Grosvenor, regional manager with the Oregon Food Bank, says that even though SNAP benefits were temporarily restored this month, the impacts of the Big Beautiful Bill will be felt soon.
"HR1 was a bill that was put into law in July. It will take effect in January. That includes the largest cuts to SNAP that our nation has ever seen," explained Grosvenor.
See how Red Apple Marketplace is helping the Oregon Food Bank ease food insecurity for the local community
The Department of Agriculture has begun publishing guidance on how states, like Oregon and Idaho, should make those cuts to SNAP.
"Come January, there's going to be a higher demand for food at our food pantries. That is a gap that we are not able to meet," added Grosvenor.
That's why the Oregon Food Bank partnered with the Red Apple Marketplace to start the "Groceries for Good" program.
Here's how it works: When you're out grocery shopping in Ontario at the Red Apple, find the marked table in the produce section with large brown paper bags. Put a bag in your cart and purchase it at checkout for $10. The cashier will put the bag aside for delivery to the Oregon Food Bank and ultimately— into the hands of a family that needs it.
The bags are full of nutritional food like mac and cheese, spaghetti, pasta sauce, peanut butter— you name it.
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Red Apple owner Tim Peters says the program is one way to help local families.
"So, we worked with the [Oregon Food Bank] to set this up and have our customers who can help the food banks, so we can take some of the pressure off of them," said Peters.
Jerry Courtney put it this way. "They're human beings. They need help, and they don't have any way to cry out. If we're not listening, we're not hearing."
