This is Feeding Northeast Florida's 110,000-square-foot facility. l Steven Ponson, Jacksonville Today
Published on November 12, 2025 at 9:43 pm
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The Jacksonville City Council on Wednesday approved $200,000 in emergency public funding for the food bank network Feeding Northeast Florida, as the need for food assistance surges.
The unanimous 17-0 vote in favor of Ordinance 2025-0857, which will help meet a spike in demand, came about an hour before the U.S. House of Representatives approved a funding package that will end the 43-day federal government shutdown that caused Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other nutrition program funding to lapse.
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Council members Terrance Freeman and Matt Carlucci were absent for Wednesday’s meeting.
A second bill that would have appropriated $2 million to the nonprofit was scheduled to be debated as well, but it will instead be sent to committee and could see a final vote in two weeks if food insecurity persists past the reopening of the government.
Many of the council members said they’ve seen increased food distribution first hand in recent weeks at community drives and food banks.
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Council member Ron Salem, who co-introduced the $200,000 funding bill with President Kevin Carrico, said he attended a drive at Regency Square with Feeding Northeast Florida CEO Lisa King where 800 cars were served. He said people started lining up at 4:45 a.m. for the drive that started at 10 a.m.
Council member Ju’Coby Pittman came to the meeting from a community distribution that she said at least 600 people had attended.
Carrico, who also met with King before the talks to end the shutdown started in Washington, said the need goes beyond SNAP beneficiaries.
“She told me some of the stats, and the amount of food requests that were going on with the shutdown looming, this isn’t a SNAP supplement, this is just a community supplement,” Carrico said. “There are people out there that are clearly hungry and needing some additional support, especially around the holidays.”
Council’s appropriation stacks another piece of assistance on top of a swell of community support in the last two weeks. Last week, Mayor Donna Deegan announced a program called the Duval Care Coalition that is helping Jaxsons find local churches and nonprofits that are providing food. Jacksonville law firm Pajcic & Pajcic donated $120,000 this month to the Riverside Arts Market to help those with SNAP benefits purchase food and produce from farmers and vendors.
According to city stats, there are 160,000 SNAP recipients in Jacksonville with an average benefit of $190 per person per month.
Feeding Northeast Florida Public Policy and Government Relations Manager Colman Shepard said the $200,000 will feed approximately 25,000 people, and the food it will buy will be fully distributed in about two weeks.
More aid coming?
Although the funding had no opposition, several council members thought the aid should have been greater.
The “SNAP Gap Relief Act” proposal (Ordinance 2025-0858) filed by members Ju’Coby Pittman, Rahman Johnson and Reggie Gaffney Jr., would take $1 million from the city’s general fund reserves and $1 million from the council’s contingency fund to support Feeding Northeast Florida.
That will now be considered by council committees next week, when it could be amended depending on the remaining need.
Council member Jimmy Peluso considered an amendment to Carrico and Salem’s bill that would have bumped the dollar figure to $500,000, but he stood down, knowing the SNAP Gap Act could be considered before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Council member Ken Amaro said in District 1, which includes Arlington, 1-in-5 people has been impacted by the pause in SNAP benefits.
“I think the number is a bit low myself. I thought given the tone of austerity with this city council ($250,000) would have been a better number. But I’ve come to realize that hunger is a real human issue, and that’s only been exacerbated over the last few weeks by the divisive politics in our nation’s capital,” Amaro said. “As the psalmist Bob Marley says, ‘Them belly full, but we hungry. And so hunger has reached our front door.”
Council member Chris Miller – who is also district director for U.S. Representative John Rutherford, R-FL5 – “most of the financial levers” switched off during the shutdown would be “turned back on within a week.”
Speaking Wednesday morning on WJCT News 89.9’s First Coast Connect, Deegan said she would support whichever amount the council passed. She said it’s unclear how long Feeding Northeast Florida and other area nonprofits will see lingering need from the shutdown.
“People are really hurting. They’re concerned that it will take a long time to get back (on) the road, even once the government shutdown is over,” Deegan said. “The gears of government don’t always turn terribly quickly. So we just wanted to be proactive if we possibly could.”
Jacksonville Today reporter Will Brown contributed to this story.
