LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A Las Vegas Valley market is fighting to recover after the recent government shutdown cut off SNAP benefits.
The Aftermarket near Nellis and Craig serves as both a supermarket and food pantry in what’s considered a food desert, where half their customers rely on SNAP benefits.
When those benefits disappeared during the shutdown, the market took a major hit. Shelves on the market side stayed full because people couldn’t afford groceries. Instead, there was much more traffic on the pantry side.
For a whole month, the Aftermarket restocked its pantry twice a day.
“With retail sales going down and pantry activity going up, it put pressure on the whole ecosystem we’ve been creating here,” said Pastor Dwayne McCoy, Aftermarket founder. “It takes revenue to keep the whole thing going, and without revenue, it’s more pressure to serve the people.”
Community need drives mission
Pastor McCoy opened the Aftermarket two years ago in an area considered a food desert. He says 50 percent of customers rely on SNAP benefits. However, those benefits were jeopardized during the shutdown.
The financial strain kept McCoy awake at night.
“During the shutdown, I did have those thoughts. I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking, ‘How do you rob Peter to pay Paul?’ What can I hold onto? What can I pay right now just to make sure we can serve the people?” McCoy said.
First-time pantry users
The tough economic times forced many to seek help for the first time.
“I’ve never been to the point where I needed help from the public,” said Josh, a customer at The Aftermarket pantry who is still reeling from the government shutdown.
Josh described his situation: “To wrap it up in a nutshell — have you ever gotten excited for Christmas and went to the tree and there was nothing under it? No lights on it. There wasn’t even electricity in the house after you paid the bill.”
Pastor McCoy also had bills to pay to keep his doors open and serve his community.
“Being the head of the organization, you start to consider if you have to lay people off or cut people’s hours,” McCoy said. “The last thing you want to do is put someone else in a line that needs pantry items.”
McCoy avoided layoffs and is doing his best to make sure everyone gets a holiday meal.
Even though revenue is back up, McCoy says he’s thankful for anyone who shops at the market because every dollar spent goes back into serving the community.
SNAP benefits were fully restored to Nevada residents earlier this month.
The Aftermarket is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. McCoy says much of their funding and food supply comes from donations.
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