Davenport, IA - Amid the government shutdown and the impending legislative changes to SNAP, River Bend Food Bank is hosting a SNAP Spotlight event at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the food bank, 4010 Kimmel Drive, Davenport, Iowa.

The event will include remarks from a SNAP recipient and SNAP Outreach Manager Lisa Spitler, who serves 28-counties through her work with River Bend Food Bank, Northeast Iowa Food Bank and the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP).

Spitler’s work includes direct outreach at pantries, assisting qualified households to sign up for SNAP. She also networks with other organizations, such as WIC and community health organizations, to provide SNAP materials and provide information.

“SNAP benefits are so important,” Spitler said. “There’s an awful lot of people that really depend on them. Right now, there is a lot of confusion and uncertainty for SNAP recipients. It is overwhelming for pantries to keep up with increased demand, and it is hard on local economies because the loss of SNAP means the loss of money going into the local area.”

The event will also include remarks from Amy Jones, River Bend Food Bank board member and past SNAP recipient, and River Bend Food Bank President & CEO Chris Ford.

“Hunger does not wait for uncertainty,” said Ford. “We have 65,000 neighbors in our community who will face the hardship of not feeding their families with much-needed SNAP benefits beginning Nov. 1. Beyond the immediate shutdown pressure, we know a year from now legislative cutbacks means we expect food insecurity to spike and food pantry lines to get longer.”