Carlos Gomez, a federal employee based in San Antonio, Texas, has been relying on a local food bank to feed his family during the government shutdown.
“I have a very large family, so it’s getting kind of hard. Whether the government is shut down or not, bills need to get paid,” Gomez said.
“I tell people, don’t ever be ashamed to ask for help,” he added.
Nearly a month into the shutdown, food banks across the country are already straining to meet rising demand from hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are furloughed or working without pay.
Now, they are bracing for an even bigger surge.
More than one in eight Americans depend on food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but those benefits are set to lapse on Nov. 1, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. SNAP recipients receive an average of $187 a month on a prepaid card to buy groceries, and many families rely on those benefits as their main source of money for food.
The Community Table Food Bank in Arvada, Colorado, was so inundated with people on Thursday it had to temporarily close. But not before Danielle Brann, a SNAP recipient, was able to get some essentials, including ham and crackers and cans of spaghetti sauce.
“The line started at 9 o’clock this morning and I don’t remember ever seeing it this busy. I mean they’re turning people away. So it’s more of a demand for sure,” Brann said.
In Delaware County, Pennsylvania, the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry also had to turn people away on Tuesday, because food is leaving the shelves faster than it can be restocked.
“We’re supposed to serve more people and want to do that, but we don’t have as much food to put on the shelves,” said Rev. Christopher Heisey-Terrell, who runs the food pantry.
In Philadelphia, the Share Food Program is bracing for Nov. 1, but has already seen an onslaught of new people at food pantries across the region.
“For organizations like us already dealing with an increase in need and less resources than we’ve had in recent years, it’s going to be a greater challenge than anything we’ve ever dealt with before,” said George Matysik, the food bank’s executive director.
Mario Partee, executive director of the Community Care Food and Clothing Pantry in southern New Jersey, echoed the concerns.
“We are certainly in uncharted territory,” Partee said. “This has never happened before.”
Meanwhile, some states are stepping in to bridge the gap.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order Thursday to provide $20 million to food banks.
In the state of New York, where nearly three million people are at risk of losing their SNAP benefits, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and announced $65 million in funding for food banks.
Staff at New York Common Pantry in Manhattan, one of New York City’s busiest food sites, said Wednesday was their single busiest day ever, serving 585 families, including 80 first-time visitors, who came after finding out their benefits may expire in days.
