Food banks and food pantries were already struggling after federal program cuts this year, but are now bracing for a tsunami of hungry people if the policy is paused. federal food aid A campaign for low-income earners starts this weekend. federal government shutdown Lasts.
The rush has already begun. The food pantry at Central Christian Church in downtown Indianapolis was packed Saturday, serving about twice as many people as it usually serves on a typical day.
“We’re seeing an increase in demand, and we know that’s really been happening since the economic downturn,” said volunteer Beth White, adding that with funding for the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program suspended, “things are going to continue to get worse for people.”
It’s a concern shared by charitable food providers across the country as states prepare to prepare for low-income families whose SNAP benefits will run out. SNAP helps 40 million Americans, or about 1 in 8 people, buy groceries. The debit cards they use to buy groceries at participating stores and farmers markets are typically charged monthly by the federal government.
It is scheduled to be suspended early next month after the Trump administration announced Friday that it would not use the policy. Approximately $5 billion in emergency funds This is to keep food aid flowing during the November government shutdown. The administration also said states that temporarily cover the cost of next month’s food assistance benefits will not be reimbursed.
“The bottom line is that the wells are dry,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement. “At this time, there are no offers issued for November 1st.”
Get the latest news from AP.
continue
This is the latest in a series of challenges to charitable food services, which are intended to fill gaps in federal food assistance and not completely replace government aid.
Charities have been in high demand since the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent spike in inflation, but they suffered a blow earlier this year when the Trump administration ended programs they had previously offered. More than $1 billion for schools and food banks To fight hunger.
Food pantry visitors are concerned
Reggie Gibbs of Indianapolis only recently started receiving SNAP benefits, so he didn’t have to pick up as much from the pantry as he stopped by Central Christian Church on Saturday. But he lives alone and worries about what will happen to families with children, he said.
“You have to remember your family,” he said. “What do you think they will go through?”
Martina McCallop, who lives in Washington, D.C., said she worries about how she will support her children, ages 10 and 12, and herself if her monthly SNAP benefit of $786 runs out.
“I have to pay bills and rent and buy things for my kids,” she said. “After that, I don’t have money to buy food.”
She worries that food pantries won’t be able to handle sudden demand in cities with large numbers of unpaid federal workers.
In Fairfax County, Virginia, which is home to about 80,000 federal employees, Deb Haynes, executive director of Food for Others, said she doesn’t expect to run out of food entirely, thanks in large part to donors.
“If you’re short and you need to ask for help, I’m sure you’ll get it,” Haynes said.
Food banks feel increased demand
Food pantries provide about one in every nine SNAP meals, according to Feeding America, a national network of food banks. They get the food they distribute through donations from people, businesses and some farmers. They also get their food from USDA programs and sometimes purchase food with donations and grants.
“If you take away SNAP, the impact would be devastating,” said Claire Babineau Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. “I think people think someone is going to stop it before it gets worse. Well, it’s already bad, and it’s getting even worse.”
Some distributors are already facing alarming food supply shortages. George Matysik, executive director of the Philadelphia Area Share Food Program, said funding for the program has already been cut due to the state’s budget impasse.
“I’ve been here for seven years,” Matysik said. “I have never seen our warehouses as empty as they are now.”
Countries are scrambling to fill in where they can.
New York Gov. Cathy Hochul said she was rushing $30 million in emergency food assistance funds to “help stock our food pantries,” and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said her state would expedite $8 million earmarked for food banks.
Officials in Louisiana, Vermont and Virginia said last week they aim to continue providing food aid to recipients in their states even if the federal program is stalled.
Other states are not in a position to provide much aid, especially if they do not receive compensation from the federal government. For example, officials in Arkansas are directing recipients to find food pantries and other charities (including friends and family) for assistance.
——-
Associated Press writers Jonelle Alecia in Los Angeles, Anthony Yzaguirre in Albany, New York, Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, video journalists Obed Ramey in Indianapolis and Mike Householder in Detroit contributed to this report.
