Salvation Army phones crash, influx of calls needing help from food pantry

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - The phone system at the Salvation Army of Central Oklahoma crashed temporarily on Tuesday due to an influx of calls from people looking for help to get food from their pantry. It came with a pause to SNAP benefits looming as the government shutdown continues.

It's a busy time at the Salvation Army of Central Oklahoma. Thursday, they were stocking the pantry shelves before those items made their way to the table of a family in need.

"We always have a need, families, a line coming in and needing that service," Area Commander for the Salvation Army of Central Oklahoma, Maj. Paul Ryerson said.

The word busy may be an understatement if you go back to Tuesday. Ryerson said their phone systems actually crashed due to an influx of calls from people looking for help getting food.

"Now it's up and running, now phone calls are coming in," Ryerson said. "It just got clogged and crashed for that moment."

It took about an hour to get everything up and running again. After 16 years with the organization, Ryerson said it's not the first time he's seen this happen.

"It's usually based on an event or a reason," Ryerson said.

With no end in sight to the government shutdown and a looming pause to SNAP benefits on the horizon, it's no surprise.

"I expect that as we're going into this next month, that service is going to be increasing quite a bit," he said.

The food they stock comes from local partnerships with businesses that donate it, but they also work closely with the Regional Food Bank who said they're preparing to double their output to their pantry partners. No matter what's happening at the federal level, Ryserson said they're ready to answer the call.

"The Salvation Army is going to be right here and we're going to be meeting the need as best as we possibly can with the support of our local community," he said.

The pantry is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Families can come in, grab a cart and shop around for a select amount of items. If you'd like to volunteer, you can find more information on the Salvation Army website.