Local shutdown impact the focus of special town hall held by south Columbus church

Rainey Richardson uses federal WIC funding to pay for her daughters' medical screenings. Roxanna Williams says SNAP food stamps help feed her great-nephews, who were abandoned by their own parents. Camika Edwards is counting on an on-time federal tax refund this year, to help pay for a new car — and finally give her old one to her 16-year-old son, who wants to become a doctor someday.

All of it is threatened by the partial government shutdown, now the longest in United States history and a source of growing desperation for Columbus neighbors in need of help.

"There's no reason that people should be denied food stamps in Central Ohio, because there's an impasse in D.C. on what to do with a border wall," said Reverend John Edgar on Wednesday, during a town hall at his Church for All People on Parsons Avenue.

Edgar said his congregation and those they serve in South Columbus are worried that a shutdown lasting for another two weeks could have larger ramifications come February, or later in March. For example, Franklin County SNAP recipients (also known as food stamps) got their next four weeks of benefits Wednesday, but will need to make them stretch for all of February unless a drastic measure combined with a re-opened government can change it.

"This is going to put a tremendous strain on our charitable services, our food banks and food pantries," said Nick Bates of the Hunger Network of Ohio. "It is absolutely immoral to take food from hungry mothers and their children, over this (political) debate."

Richardson, a young mother of three, said the health screenings also provided through Women, Infant & Children (WIC) funding have proved invaluable to the kids' lives.

"WIC stands in the gap for the doctor's office," Richardson said. "They were able to detect that my daughters have low iron, which is very serious...and determined that they do need a supplement."

Others at the town hall, like Roxanna Williams, said they cannot afford to feed their households without federal funding. Williams care for two great-nephews in addition to herself.

"It's very hard. I get an income but I still need to take care of them," she said Wednesday. "It's very hard; they (lawmakers) just need to do something."

The town hall hosts invited local elected officials to take part in Wednesday's event. Staffers for Senator Sherrod Brown and Congresswoman Joyce Beatty showed up; no one joined from Senator Rob Portman's office, nor Congressman Steve Stivers. Stivers, known for his friendly relationship with Beatty, later tweeted that the event was in her district and so she sent representatives.

The Church for All People is located across the street from the boundary of Stivers' congressional district, and organizers said many in his constituency attended Wednesday's town hall.

At the end of the event, volunteers collected poker chips inscribed with the phrase "Families Aren't Bargaining Chips" and carried them to Senator Rob Portman's office.

This article was originally published by ABC6 on January 16, 2019.