Nearly 50 volunteers gathered in a parking lot at the state fairgrounds Friday to distribute food to low-income families in Marion County, after a week of delayed federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

Most of the 49 volunteers were employees at the Salem-Keizer School District who wanted to help students and their families.

Joaquin Garcia, a custodial lead at Miller Elementary School, said he has seen the impact of food insecurity on students’ faces.

“You have some students that you can tell whether or not they know right off hand. You can tell the energy’s a little bit different,” Garcia said. “You have parents that, you can just see the weight on their shoulders a little bit more during this time.”

The distribution, funded by $100,000 from Marion County , was

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