Since the start of 2025, demand for meals at Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring has increased.
The non-profit currently is serving an average of 422 meals each day since Jan. 1. For the same time period in 2024, Shepherd’s Table was dishing out 372 meals per day.
This month, a total of 13,065 meals have been given to anyone coming to the building on Georgia Avenue and requesting a meal.
“SNAP benefits are being cut, housing costs are rising, and food costs are rising. Meanwhile, people are losing their jobs en masse. All of these factors create the perfect storm to force more people into homelessness and poverty, and that’s where we come in,” explained the director of meal services.
The uptick in request for meals aligns with the 28% increase in unsheltered people in the county between 2023 and 2024, according to Shepherd’s Table officials.
