"We first met Pedro and Maryanne during the government shutdown; at the time, the San Leandro couple was hoping to celebrate their engagement, but instead they were among the millions left worrying while cut off from their SNAP benefits."
""It sounds like you got your SNAP benefits back - you were able to have a Thanksgiving dinner?" ABC7 News reporter Tara Campbell asked. "Yes, we have a lot to be grateful for this year. We have food, and we have other stuff people don't have, and it makes me feel concerned about other people," said Maryanne Escobar."
""It was really good. The people stepped up and if it wasn't for that I don't know what would have happened," said Pedro Alvarez."
Pedro Alvarez and Maryanne Escobar, a disabled couple from San Leandro, lost SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown while preparing to celebrate their engagement. SNAP benefits were reinstated after the government reopened, allowing them to have a Thanksgiving dinner and express gratitude for community support. New federal guidance under President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" expands work requirements and limits refugee access, creating new threats to benefit eligibility. The couple remains concerned for others facing similar challenges, expresses gratitude for assistance received, and is planning a wedding during the holidays and New Year's.
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
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