FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — More than 500 families in South Florida received free groceries Saturday as South Promo and Tax Me Corp teamed up with New Hope Missionary Baptist Church for a large-scale food distribution event in Fort Lauderdale.

With the federal government shutdown creating uncertainty for families who rely on SNAP benefits, organizers said the timing couldn’t have been more critical.

On Friday, a judge ordered the Trump administration to use contingency funds to pay out those benefits, but officials said the timing of that order means there will likely be a delay in payments — leaving many families turning to food drives like this one for help.

“We’re trying to help people, as many as we can and trying to share the wealth as much as we can,” volunteer Cycloria Choung said.

The organization holds food drives weekly, rotating between Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties to reach as many families as possible.

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