HAMMOND, La. (WVUE) - Tangipahoa Parish has faced back-to-back crises in recent weeks, putting a new strain on a Hammond food pantry.

Tangi Food Pantry executive director Janet Bornkessel said her pantry’s stock has been strained by the Smitty’s Supply explosion and the federal government shutdown’s disruption of SNAP benefits.

The explosion cost 400 Smitty’s workers their jobs, while the shutdown disrupted benefits for more than 30,000 SNAP recipients parishwide.

“The Smitty’s people may not even have started getting their food stamps yet. They’re still processing all of that and some of them haven’t started to get that and now here’s a double whammy,” she said.

Bornkessel estimated her team now sees up to 150 people in need per day, when previously it would top out at 100.

Several b

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