How to Help Families Losing SNAP Benefits
On November 1, about 42 million people, including 16 million children, are set to lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, triggering what experts say could be the worst hunger crisis in the United States since the Great Depression. Due to the ongoing government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program, says it does not have the funds to pay $8 billion in food aid next month.
On average, SNAP recipients get about $187 a month in benefits, which are often referred to as food stamps. About 39 percent of them are children, 20 percent are elderly, and 10 percent are non-elderly individuals with a disability, according to the most recent USDA data. Advocates are raising the alarm about how devastating a pause in benefits will be for millions of low-income families across the nation — especially ahead of the holiday season.
But the Trump administration has been claiming that it can’t dip into the USDA’s $6 billion contingency fund to cover November’s benefits even though it has tapped into other pots of money to offset the cost of paying troops and covering the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC, during the shutdown. The administration is also scapegoating Democrats, undocumented immigrants, and transgender people in a notice on federal websites that blames the pause in benefits on them. (The message likely violates the Hatch Act, which bars government agencies from partisan activity.) Additionally, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans had already slashed $186 billion in SNAP funding over the next decade as part of their “One Big Beautiful” tax and spending bill.
It’s the first time in modern history that SNAP benefits will be halted, and we still don’t know when they will return. There’s no end in sight for the shutdown and Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic-led bill on Wednesday that would have continued funding for SNAP. And while certain states are reallocating funds to support the program’s recipients, that’s not the case everywhere. So, here are some ways you can step in to help your community at this moment.
Donate to a food bank.
Food banks, many of which have already have been impacted by Trump’s federal-funding cuts, are anticipating an increase in need once SNAP benefits stop. Cash donations are the most effective way to offer your support as many food banks and pantries are able to purchase items in bulk and at a discount, making your dollars stretch as much as possible. The website Find Help offers a directory of food-aid programs by Zip
Code. Once you make your donation, ask your employer whether they are willing to match it.
Or better yet, contact your local food pantry and ask what they need most.
Cash goes a long way toward supporting food banks, but some organizations may also need volunteers and others may be open to items being donated — for example, many groups accept personal-care and household items that aren’t covered by SNAP in addition to food donations. Your best bet is to call them up to find out what additional help they need.
Connect with mutual-aid groups.
There may be ongoing mutual-aid efforts in your community that focus on food assistance, such as community fridges, community gardens, and soup kitchens. You can look up local mutual-aid groups on the Mutual Aid Hub. To find active community fridges in your area, you can use Fridge Finder. There’s also the Free Formula Exchange, a nationwide mutual-aid network that connects families in need of baby formula to people who can donate it directly.
Organize a meal train or food delivery for your vulnerable neighbors.
People who are elderly, have disabilities, or don’t own a car will likely have a hard time going to food pantries and stocking up on the items they need. A straightforward way to help neighbors in those circumstances is to organize a meal train or deliver food items directly. Not only will you help keep them fed, but it will deepen your community’s bonds.
Get a grocery buddy.
Another suggestion that has popped up in online buy-nothing groups is getting a “grocery buddy,” or taking a SNAP recipient shopping and paying for their monthly groceries. If you can’t physically meet up with someone in need, an alternative is to send them funds directly via Venmo, CashApp, or other peer-to-peer payment apps.
Ask local businesses whether they are willing to help.
Some restaurants and small businesses are already offering free or discounted meals to families on SNAP. While it is not a permanent solution, these efforts can help in a pinch, so call around businesses in your area and to see if they’d be able to do the same. When you do, pitch them alternatives: Maybe they can offer free meals on certain days of the week or free meals for children under 12. Perhaps they can do a daily discount for the elderly or people with disabilities. If that doesn’t work, ask whether they’d be willing to host a food drive or make a cash donation to a food-aid charity.
See if your local school system has a backpack meal program.
Some school districts are already set up for backpack meal programs, where they offer low-income families free groceries for weekends and school breaks. Once SNAP benefits run out, children will be among the most impacted, so you can reach out to your local school system to ask whether they have a program in place and what donations they need to keep it going.
Call your representative.
An easy and free way to help SNAP recipients is to contact your elected officials — remember, they allowed the government to shut down in the first place! — and demand that they take action immediately. The tool 5Calls provides your representatives’ contact information and even has a SNAP-specific script that you can follow and adapt to best communicate your demands. Additionally, you can spread the word about this impending hunger crisis IRL and on social media and encourage the people you know to take action too.
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