A Jacksonville mother is facing one hardship after another, struggling to put food on the table while waiting for her SNAP benefits to be approved. With the federal government shutdown pausing food assistance, community leaders are stepping in to help families like hers.

“I never thought that I wouldn’t be able to feed my kid,” Williams said.

This is Veronica Williams, who moved back to Jacksonville after her 10-year-old daughter, Devah Woods, was swept away in a flash flood in Texas. Her daughter was later found dead this past May. She has been waiting for her SNAP benefits to be approved while facing mounting challenges.

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“We’ve just been waiting and waiting, thinking that stuff is gonna come, and then we care about the government shut down, so it’s just like now. What do we do?” Williams added.

Like many families across Florida, Veronica is unsure where her next meal will come from.

“I was even pawning my things like the TV because and a lot of my stuff that was in storage, and my brother also had things pawned just to get food every day because the price of food is ridiculous,” she said.

The federal government shutdown is pausing SNAP benefits for nearly three million Floridians, leaving families like Veronica’s in urgent need of help.

“Many Florida families are just one emergency away from losing it all,” said State Representative Angie Nixon.

That’s why local leaders are stepping up. Both Nixon and longtime Jacksonville restaurant owner Jerome Brown are giving away free food to families this Saturday in Northwest Jacksonville.

Owner Jerome Brown, seen beside his daughter Katrina Brown, said it’s about giving back to the people who’ve supported them since 1997.

“We have always got support of the community, so sometimes you have to give something back to people that have helped you stay in business for all of that time,” Katrina Brown said.

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State Representative Nixon is also giving away “Resistance Bags” filled with food for children at her Café Resistance Bookshop.

“It’s all about just having compassion and humanity for folks, and if I happen to fall on hard times, I would want someone to do the same for me,” Nixon said.

After posting about their mission on Facebook, Katrina Brown said the response was overwhelming — more than two thousand families reached out within days.

“I mean, I’ve got people to text me about how they don’t have any food left about death the children,” she said.

Representative Nixon’s “Resistance Bag” program will be handing out free to-go meals from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while Jerome Brown Barbecue will start distributing free meals tomorrow at 3 p.m. until supplies last.

For mothers like Veronica Williams, these efforts are more than just meals – they’re a lifeline. Both community leaders say they’ll keep serving families every day until the government reopens.

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