As Georgia families face uncertainty about putting food on the table due to suspended SNAP benefits, a Gwinnett County teen is stepping up to help his neighbors.
“The first thing I thought was, how can I fix this? How can I help?” Jaeleon Hawkins-Jones, a high school junior, said.
Hawkins-Jones, 16, has raised more than a thousand dollars and says he is just getting started.
Roughly 1.4 million people across Georgia receive assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. About 12% of the state’s population depends on the program to help buy food.
As the government shutdown continues, the state’s food assistance website reports that November benefits have been suspended.
“When leadership fails to act, regular people like us have to step up,” Hawkins-Jones said. “I partnered with the Southeast Gwinnett Co-op Ministry, which is a local nonprofit organization, to give out food boxes with essentials like rice, pasta, canned goods, cereal, peanut butter, shelf-stable milk, snacks for children, things along those lines.”
When the shutdown began impacting families in Snellville, 16-year-old Jaeleon Hawkins-Jones decided to act. He started raising money through GoFundMe to provide food boxes for those affected in Gwinnett County. So far, his campaign has raised more than $1,500.
Through the Southeast Gwinnett Co-op, Hawkins-Jones said every dollar will count. His fundraiser surpassed the $1,000 goal, helping feed more than 40 local families. He now aims to raise $2,000.
Hawkins-Jones plans to distribute the food boxes with help from the Co-op and include $5 Kroger gift cards to assist with gas. “I want to show other people who are my age how important it is to get involved locally and make a difference in your community,” he said. “I believe that it doesn’t matter how young you are, you can make a difference in this world if you actually put in the effort to try.”
