Amidst the Federal government shutdown, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits may expire on October 31. Boca Helping Hands, which provides food, medical, and financial assistance to help individuals and families improve their quality of life and build financial stability, is committed to filling the gaps. Further, Boca Helping Hands is offering pantry bags to local federal employees who are impacted by the shutdown. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are roughly 7,100. Federal workers residing in Palm Beach County.

“Come November 1, families who count on SNAP may find their benefits cut off, with devastating impact. Cuts to SNAP will disproportionately impact children, seniors and veterans, and our clientele have expressed deep concern,” said Dr. Andrew Hagen, Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands. “With our distribution centers, warehouses and refrigerated trucks, we have the infrastructure to fill the gap to ensure that these vulnerable populations do not go hungry. However, we are looking to the community to donate food that will quickly be distributed. Food drives from businesses, schools, places of worship, and other groups are most welcome.”

According to the Florida Policy Institute, 2.9 million Floridians participate in SNAP, with average benefits of $6.12 per day. Children makeup 41 percent of SNAP’s caseload with seniors making up 25 percent, and 99,000 veterans participating in the program. According to the Palm Beach County Food Bank, more than 173,000 in the County are food insecure including one in five children.

Through its various programs, Boca Helping Hands assists nearly 35,000 people annually. Distributing food to the working poor from five distribution centers, the organization provides each year approximately 112,000 pantry bags, 73,000+ hot meals served and delivered. It also provides job training aimed at bringing individuals out of poverty.

To donate food, please reach out to Bill Harper at bill@bocahelpinghands.org or call 561-417-0913.

About Boca Helping Hands

Since 1998, Boca Helping Hands has grown from a humble soup kitchen into a lifeline for nearly 35,000 people each year, including families struggling to put food on the table, parents choosing between rent and childcare, seniors skipping meals to afford medication.

In 2024, we served over 64,000 hot meals and distributed more than 112,000 pantry bags across Palm Beach County. But the need goes beyond hunger. We help children through our Backpacks Program, sending weekend meals home with students at 15 local schools, because no child should go hungry when school is out.

We support families in crisis with emergency assistance for rent, utilities, and childcare. We open doors to affordable healthcare through our partnership with Genesis Community Health. At Boca Helping Hands, we are able to walk alongside people ready to rebuild, offering job training, mentoring, and life skills classes that lead to lasting independence.

Every meal served, student trained for a meaningful career, every bill paid, every handheld, it all makes a difference. At Boca Helping Hands, we don’t just meet needs. We restore dignity, inspire hope, and help people believe in a better tomorrow. We don’t only give a handout, we give a hand up.

Boca Helping Hands is a partner agency of The Town of Palm Beach United Way. Since 1945, the Town of Palm Beach United Way has been committed to improving lives and building strong communities throughout Palm Beach County by focusing on programs and priorities that promote education, health, and financial stability.

Boca Helping Hands holds accreditation for Sound Nonprofit Management from Nonprofits First, has a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid/GuideStar, and has been a Charity Navigator Four-Star Charity for 17 consecutive years. Boca Helping Hands is located at 1500 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton, FL 33432. For more information, please visit BocaHelpingHands.org.Since 1998, Boca Helping Hands has grown from a humble soup kitchen into a lifeline for nearly 35,000 people each year, including families struggling to put food on the table, parents choosing between rent and childcare, seniors skipping meals to afford medication.

In 2024, we served over 64,000 hot meals and distributed more than 112,000 pantry bags across Palm Beach County. But the need goes beyond hunger. We help children through our Backpacks Program, sending weekend meals home with students at 15 local schools, because no child should go hungry when school is out.

We support families in crisis with emergency assistance for rent, utilities, and childcare. We open doors to affordable healthcare through our partnership with Genesis Community Health. At Boca Helping Hands, we are able to walk alongside people ready to rebuild, offering job training, mentoring, and life skills classes that lead to lasting independence.

Every meal served, student trained for a meaningful career, every bill paid, every handheld, it all makes a difference. At Boca Helping Hands, we don’t just meet needs. We restore dignity, inspire hope, and help people believe in a better tomorrow. We don’t only give a handout, we give a hand up.

Boca Helping Hands is a partner agency of The Town of Palm Beach United Way. Since 1945, the Town of Palm Beach United Way has been committed to improving lives and building strong communities throughout Palm Beach County by focusing on programs and priorities that promote education, health, and financial stability.

Boca Helping Hands holds accreditation for Sound Nonprofit Management from Nonprofits First, has a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid/GuideStar, and has been a Charity Navigator Four-Star Charity for 17 consecutive years. Boca Helping Hands is located at 1500 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton, FL 33432. For more information, please visit BocaHelpingHands.org.

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