ASHLAND — Catholic Charities of Ashland County will hand out free $100 gift cards redeemable at Meijer grocery stores on Tuesday, its executive director said.
Sheryl Villegas, the charity’s director for Ashland and Wayne counties, said any Ashland County resident impacted by the halt in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits is eligible to receive a gift card.
The charity will pass out the food cards starting at 1 p.m. on Tuesday at its office along 34 W. Second St. (Suite 4) in Ashland, also known as the Ashland Professional Building. The cards will be distributed until the charity runs out of them, Villegas said.
Villegas said the Catholic Charities Diocese of Cleveland received a donation recently from Humble Hearts.
The diocese divvied the donation among its eight counties, meaning Ashland County received approximately $24,000 in gift cards to Marc’s and Meijer groceries.
The “generous donation,” Villegas said, was made as a direct response to disruptions happening to SNAP.
The SNAP benefits program has been halted nationwide since Nov. 1 because of the ongoing federal government shutdown. The program helps 1.4 million Ohioans. In Ashland County, that number was 4,777 in September.
Villegas said Catholic Charities of Ashland County passed out all 24 of the $100 gift cards to Marc’s and 30 that are redeemable at Meijer. They still have a limited amount of the $100 gift cards to Meijer, she said.
“We chose today (to pass out the rest of the food cards) because it’s Veterans Day … we just hope these gift cards get in people’s hands today so they can take care of their families,” she said.