A lockdown crisis is brewing

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) – Cynthia Kirkhart, executive director of Facing Hunger Foodbank in Huntington, West Virginia, has already had to explain to clients this year why the organization is rationing bags of potatoes.

The food bank, which also serves households in Kentucky and Ohio, has had to reduce its allocations as higher food costs and growing needs strain its budget.

Now, with the prospect of nearly 300,000 West Virginians losing November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps, due to the federal government shutdown, there is little else she can do.

“If you take away SNAP dollars, people have no resources. We’re in real trouble,” Kirkhart said. Nine food banks and anti-hunger groups in eight states told Reuters they will struggle to absorb increased demand if November SNAP benefits are not distributed. The shutdown, now the second longest in history, has prevented Congress from funding the benefits, which reach more than 41 million Americans. Hunger in the United States has already been increasing for several years. President Donald Trump’s administration cut some federal funding for food banks and increased SNAP work requirements, which could push some people out of the program.

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States warned this week that hunger could increase if SNAP benefits expire. The shutdown also threatens the benefits of nearly 7 million participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the benefit gap is “a turning point for Senate Democrats.” Democrats have withheld votes on a spending bill in an effort to prevent health care prices from skyrocketing for many Americans. Democrats and Republicans have blamed each other for the shutdown.

PREPARING FOR IMPACT

Food banks have already seen record demand in recent years as food price inflation and the long tail of the COVID-19 pandemic put pressure on household budgets.

More than 50 million people received food from food banks, pantries and other charitable sources in 2023, compared to about 40 million in 2019, according to Feeding America, a national network of food banks.

Food providers have increased fundraising, cut hours and reduced offerings to try to keep up. But their role has always been to complement government aid, not replace it.

MANNA FoodBank in Mills River, North Carolina, has seen its highest demand as the community continues to rebuild following the destruction of Hurricane Helene, which also destroyed the group’s warehouse, said Claire Neal, the group’s executive director.

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“The reality is, there’s not much we can do on our own. For every meal we provide, SNAP provides nine. We can’t make up the difference, and philanthropy can’t replace government support,” Neal said.

Some organizations are still hoping to raise funds before a possible increase in November, such as the United Way of New York City, which opened an emergency fund to quickly funnel money to low-income households if needed, said President and CEO Grace Bonilla.

“Those lines (at food banks) are going to be a lot longer. We’re just bracing for the impact,” Bonilla said.

NO FEDERAL ACTION

This week, mayors and House Democrats urged Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to fund November benefits using a SNAP contingency fund that the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates contains about $5 billion. That is equivalent to 60% of the cost of one month of benefits. The USDA said Friday that it would not use the funds and would instead reserve them to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies. In the absence of federal action, some states have intervened. California and New York said they would send money to food banks. Virginia declared a state of emergency on Thursday to fund November benefits.

But others have found few options to help SNAP recipients. The Alaska Department of Health website said the agency explored using state money for benefits but found it impossible. “Reprogramming the federal system to instead obtain funds from the state treasury is not feasible due to provider and system time constraints,” according to the website.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington and PJ Huffstutter in Chicago; editing by Richard Valdmanis and Patricia Reaney)