As the partial federal government shutdown continues into its second month, food assistance programs are in danger of losing funding. Advocates say thousands of families who rely on those food benefits may go hungry.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will not be able to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, past the end of February.
This means about 150,000 Long Islanders who rely on SNAP to purchase groceries will have to go without. On average, SNAP recipients in New York receive about $240 per month.
Alison Puglia, a vice president at Island Harvest, a food bank on Long Island, said the group is organizing more food drives as the shutdown continues.
“A lot of our food donors are aware of what’s going on, and they can possibly increase the amount of food they are donating to us. We will use our resources to sustain as long as needed.”
Data from the USDA show Connecticut had 410,000 SNAP recipients in 2017; more than half were families with children.
Ceci Maher, executive director of Person-to-Person, a Connecticut-based social services group, said she expects an uptick in people who go to food pantries in the coming weeks.
“People are living very close to the edge, and SNAP benefits are not that much money. So where our concern is, is in the month of March, if this continues, people will not have the wherewithal to be able to buy food.”
Maher said the impact of the shutdown on the poor and elderly will only get worse as it goes on.
“It will be hurting the most vulnerable people. Everyone who has been affected, all the services, it is something that we need to end. The shutdown has to end.”
Local pantries on Long Island and in Connecticut are seeking donations and volunteers as demand for services grows.
Disclosure: Person-to-Person has been a WSHU underwriter.
