As the government shutdown continues, approximately 42 million Americans face uncertainty regarding their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which could cease on November 1. The potential lapse in funding has raised alarm among families who depend on this crucial assistance, particularly low-income households with children.
Among those hurt are 16 million children, many relying on SNAP to help provide three meals a day. Martina Santos, a 67-year-old from the Bronx, came to express her concerns about losing such vital benefits. She was passionate about what the changes would mean for her future and livelihood. With her monthly SNAP allocation of about $290, she stated, “I’m going to be waiting to pay my electricity bill and my internet bill.” Santos continues to outright reject going home and asking her family for assistance. She worries that if she doesn’t get SNAP help, her family won’t be able to eat.
For Jenna, a SNAP recipient and mother of four from Oklahoma, this is more than a rhetorical question. Although she works full-time, there are days that she has to stay home. This is primarily because of the special needs of her two children with disabilities. She articulated the emotional toll of her situation, saying, “I have four kids. I don’t want to ask for help from my family. They have their own family. They got their own bills.” The impending freeze in food assistance means that families like hers may soon have to choose between essential needs, as Claire Babineaux-Fontenot noted: “families everywhere are on the brink of, or have already been forced to make, impossible choices between food and other necessities like housing and health care.”
To combat this looming crisis, the Barstow Police Department in California has gone a different route. They’ve been sending out alerts of heightened patrols at neighborhood grocery stores and shopping malls. For Police Chief Christopher Kirby, these measures were critical. He understands you’re scared and wants to make sure you feel safe in your community during this difficult time. “The intent was to let the community know that we were aware of what was going on, and it was our plan to be out there protecting the community,” he stated.
Many local activists have called these proactive measures a failure before they begin. Black Lives Matter activists and other social media users protested against the idea that police officers should patrol grocery stores. They maintained that combating hunger should be at the forefront of law enforcement, not policing. One user commented, “You should have food baskets ready to hand out. The people would appreciate that and feel like the police are with them instead of against.”
The overall climate of anxiety—both for retailers and on Capitol Hill—has led to a climate where retailers are taking precautionary measures as well. The Dollar General store located directly in Columbus’ downtown core recently boarded up their doors and windows. They’re making this extreme precaution in the lead up to November 1, worried about being robbed. Yet, come Tuesday, October 28, the boards were taken down, signaling a return to reconsideration of the worst-case scenario.
Leslie Sarasin, FMI’s CEO underscored the immediacy of the situation, calling for federal intervention. She hopes to address the shutdown’s effect on SNAP benefits as soon as possible. She stated, “Retailers will take steps they deem necessary to maintain safety in their stores. The real solution needed lies in swift federal action. Congress must act quickly to end the shutdown and restore stability for millions of households.”
The West Side Campaign Against Hunger is committed to ending food insecurity in New York City. They are uniquely positioned by their networks to reach the most vulnerable communities with emergency food assistance. They’re getting ready for a surge in demand as families continue to read news indicating that SNAP might be cut off soon. The nonprofit’s actions demonstrate the grave need for community support as we enter this rough winter season.
Martina Santos articulated her fears about how the end of SNAP benefits would impact her family’s diet: “I’m going to have hungry kids that are used to getting their berries and their cheese, their yogurt, their healthy snacks.” This uncertainty about access to healthy food makes a heavy burden for families who rely on these benefits.
Conversations around the future of SNAP continue to take place at the federal level. Millions of families are one emergency away from financial doom. The threat of losing vital food assistance is a major worry. To change the paradigm, we need to create solutions across sectors that embrace equity as an overarching value.
