Building a bigger table during the government shutdown

“We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

How can we stand in solidarity with people adversely impacted by the month-long government shutdown? That’s the question Charvalla West, president and CEO of United Way of the Virginia Peninsula, addressed during Coming to the Table-Historic Triangle’s October meeting.

The meeting was held on the same day as Gov. Glen Youngkin’s press conference to address SNAP benefits being disrupted on Saturday due to the government shutdown. Youngkin indicated that the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance initiative would cover SNAP benefits for Virginians affected by the federal government shutdown. This p