‘We need to take care of ourselves’: Topeka city leaders, United Way taking action amid SNAP fallout

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Topeka’s city manager and mayor met for a live press conference Tuesday morning to talk about the latest city issues and answer questions from reporters.

City Manager Robert Perez and Topeka Mayor Mike Padilla were scheduled to talk at 10 a.m. on Oct. 28 at City Hall. The pair touched on numerous topics related to the local community, including providing aid to those who are currently suffering amid the ongoing government shutdown.

“If the federal government isn’t going to help us out, we need to take care of ourselves” Padilla said. “We went through this same thing during Covid, and it was the City of Topeka that kept itself afloat because of the things that they did among their businesses, small and large, and I think it’s important for us to keep that in mind. I know that there’s a need for a clothing bank and a food bank out there for our military personnel. That should not happen, that should not be the way it is and it’s distressing that some people accept it because it’s a stance they want to take to make a point. The point is, these people protect us worldwide and in many cases are serving without pay, that’s just unacceptable.”

Perez said the City of Topeka is aware that benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not be provided in November and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will not be covering those benefits. He said United Way is hosting an emergency meeting on Oct. 29 to brainstorm on how to fill in the gap left by the federal government amid the shutdown.

Perez and Padilla also talked about developments with Hotel Topeka, the Coffee with Code community engagement series and more. You can watch the full meeting again above.

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