‘Times are hard’: Families fed by Jacksonville Community Action Committee during shutdown

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the federal government shutdown stretches into the longest in U.S. history , organizations on the First Coast are stepping up to fill the gap, one meal at a time.

Outside Café Resistance on Soutel Drive, members with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) spent the evening serving warm meals to families struggling with food insecurity as federal SNAP and WIC benefits remain frozen.

Among them was Jacksonville resident Clifford Watson.

“Times are hard,” Watson said.

He told First Coast News his grandmother, who can barely walk, broke down in tears asking for food. When he saw the post online about free meals, Watson said he walked over immediately to help her get one.

“This will help me and my family because we really needed this,” he said. “God