Local Agencies Preparing for Influx of Need (10-7-20)

Hopes for a second stimulus package still appear grim -- though the president has backtracked some on cutting off negotiations with democrats.

What does this mean for people relying on federal funds or the local agencies supporting them?

Kq2's kilee thomas how area agencies are preparing for the influx of need coming their way.

Kilee thomas reportingánats of president trump's tweetá 24 hours after president trump announcing negotiations on a stimulus package won't happen until after the election local agencies - already being stretched thinnow faced with taking on more needs sot: nichi yeager, alf-cio- "we tell them, don't rely on the stimulus check."

Sot: chad higdon, second harvest- "no matter what happens at the federal or state level, we're going to do whatever we can to bring as much food in, especially right now."

Since march local agencies have been supporting families through this pandemic.

Second harvest - local food bank serving northwest missouri- says they've served over double the amount of people this year compared to this time last year sot: higdon-"the number last year we're looking at was around 185,000 and for the same time period since mid-march right now we're looking at 430,000."

Afl-cio- says on top of helping their usual lower income clients sot: yeager-"i know that it'll be a huge disappointment for them to not get that one step ahead, for once."

Now they're serving a whole new group of people who've never needed help before sot: yeager-"more than anything, we're seeing people who are behind on things that aren't used to being behind on things because either they were quarantined, they were exposed to covid or they were temporarily laid off."

Afl-cio says those suffering financial hardships were beating on that second round of stimulus to get them through sot: yeager- "while people weren't positive they were going to get it, they were already planning on how they were going to spend it."

Now with odds being slim in the government passing a second package strapping down for the long haul.

Sot: yeager- "really, the only way these things are going to stop is if the spread stops."

Sot: higdon- "when you look at some of the depressions and recessions from the past, it really took 5-10 years to get things back to normal and we don't see this being any different."

Reporting in st joseph, kilee thomas, kq2 news if you haven't received any stimulus check yet- the irs has extended the deadline to register to november