Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant of Atlanta, Georgia is no stranger to activism.
As the leader of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, he leads weekly sermons on social justice and mutual aid — and he’s also one of the most prominent voices behind a boycott of Target, following the corporation’s slashing of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
On Instagram, where he has nearly one million followers, he has been vocal in his opposition to the Trump administration. And this week, as the United States Department of Agriculture announced that 42 million Americans will lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits on November 1, was no exception.
SNAP is a nationwide program that provides monthly financial assistance to low-income families so that they can access healthy food, providing about 1 in 8 U.S. residents an average of $187 a month in food aid.
The approximately $8 billion set aside by the federal government to cover SNAP every month lapsed when Congress did not approve an annual appropriations budget on October 1, leading to the now 28-day government shutdown.
“History will record that President Trump is the very first American commander-in-chief to starve his own citizens,” Pastor Bryant shared in an Instagram video.
While he had strong words denouncing the cutting of SNAP benefits, he offered more than just platitudes, providing resources for people in the Atlanta community who may be in need, and even going so far as to turn down donations to the church.
In fact, last Sunday was supposed to be a major fundraising day for the church, with an estimated $1 million in donations expected to be raised. Instead, Pastor Bryant put the event on hold, encouraging congregants to instead donate to people in immediate need or bring canned foods to the church for distribution.
“The congregation is supposed to be sensitive to the needs of the community,” Pastor Bryant told 11 Alive News. “Knowing that people are literally just trying to keep their head above water … we’re opening up our arms and opening up our hearts at the same time.”
The church already gives away groceries to about 1,500 people every other Sunday, but he expects the demand to increase as SNAP benefits dwindle.
“Normally, we bless 1,500 families in our community with groceries twice a month,” he said in an Instagram Live. “I think that number is getting ready to double.”
According to 11 Alive News, the church anticipates it will serve 2,000 people — both furloughed workers and those without their SNAP funds — in the coming weekend.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got to walk together as a family. At our church, we are committed to feeding our community, our congregation, and this city,” Pastor Bryant said on Instagram.
He went on to share resources that anyone in the country can access if they are in need of food assistance, including a hotline to find food banks (1-800-5HUNGRY) and findhelp.org, a website that offers localized assistance for housing, food, employment, and more.
He also shared that he will soon be hosting a Zoom training for pastors all across the country on how to “turn your church into a food bank,” mobilizing them with the resources they need to distribute food to people in need.
“In this hour, the church has got to do more than shout,” Pastor Bryant said in an Instagram Live.
“The church has got to be able to serve.”
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Header image courtesy of Jamal H. Bryant
