St. Vincent de Paul hands out 175 food boxes to families in need

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Dozens of cars lined up for St. Vincent de Paul’s food giveaway Saturday morning following community donations collected during the recent government shutdown.

President and CEO Sunnie Johnso-Lain said the distribution was made possible by donations collected over the past week. The organization gathered more than 1,400 pounds of non-perishable food items for people affected by the government shutdown.

Johnson-Lain said even though the shutdown has ended, it will take time for people to receive their benefits again. The organization is working to fill the gaps during the transition period.

“We know our neighbors in need are needing food today and that’s what we’re here to do is just help them and make sure they get through especially with Thanksgiving coming an