Food Banks Brace For Overwhelming Demand As Snap Cutoff Looms

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Jan 22, 2026, 7:17 AM

food banks brace for overwhelming demand as snap cutoff looms

Food banks across the United States were stretched thin even before the federal government shut down. Rising food prices had driven a growing number of people to their doors. Cuts to federal programs had left them with less to give. Now, that system — a last resort for tens of millions of hungry Americans — is anticipating an even greater surge in demand. With no end in sight to the nearly monthlong federal government shutdown, funding for the nation’s largest food assistance program, known as SNAP, will disappear at the start of November, according to the Department... On Friday, the Trump administration said in a memo that it would not tap into contingency funds to keep payments flowing to states.

That means that the roughly 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — may soon have to find other ways to feed themselves and their families. Many of them will turn to local food pantries. Anti-hunger organizations and food banks say the surging demand will almost certainly exceed their capacity to respond. And the impact could resonate well beyond the shutdown. A collection of opinionated commentaries on culture, politics and religion compiled predominantly from an American viewpoint but tempered by a global vision. My Armwood Opinion Youtube Channel @ YouTube I have a Jazz Blog @ Jazz and a Technology Blog @ Technology.

I have a Human Rights Blog @ Law Contact Me By Emailvar _rwObsfuscatedHref0 = "mai";var _rwObsfuscatedHref1 = "lto";var _rwObsfuscatedHref2 = ":ar";var _rwObsfuscatedHref3 = "mwo";var _rwObsfuscatedHref4 = "od@";var _rwObsfuscatedHref5 = "arm";var _rwObsfuscatedHref6 = "woo";var _rwObsfuscatedHref7 = "d.c";var _rwObsfuscatedHref8 = "om";var _rwObsfuscatedHref = _rwObsfuscatedHref0+_rwObsfuscatedHref1+_rwObsfuscatedHref2+_rwObsfuscatedHref3+_rwObsfuscatedHref4+_rwObsfuscatedHref5+_rwObsfuscatedHref6+_rwObsfuscatedHref7+_rwObsfuscatedHref8;... Food banks across the United States are bracing for a surge in demand as the federal government shutdown threatens to cut off SNAP funding for 42 million Americans. With rising food prices and reduced federal aid, food banks are already stretched thin and anticipate being overwhelmed by the increased need. The situation is particularly dire in areas with large populations of federal workers, who are facing food insecurity due to the shutdown. Food banks across the United States were stretched thin even before the federal government shut down.

Rising food prices had driven a growing number of people to their doors. Cuts to federal programs had left them with less to give. Now, that system — a last resort for tens of millions of hungry Americans — is anticipating an even greater surge in demand. Mary Ann Edwards takes stock of inventory at the Llano Food Pantry in central Texas on October 23, 2025. She said the pantry has seen increased need because of rising costs of goods over the last year. With SNAP benefits set to halt barring Congressional intervention, she expects to see "a bunch of new people coming in." Barbara Sprunt/NPR hide caption

Chris Jones and Mary Ann Edwards have been volunteering at the Llano Food Pantry in central Texas for several years. It's a tight-knit group, where food recipients gather early to chat outside, and community members contribute their own produce. "The ladies all come in and go, 'guess what I did with those plums I got last time?' We share recipes, we talk and it's like a big family," Edwards said. Four years ago, the pantry was receiving 15-20 people each week. Now, they say, the number is about a hundred clients every week. "Right now — and we've been doing this for a while — we limit canned goods," said Jones.

"We didn't have to do that in the beginning because we didn't have that many people coming through." The countdown is on keep food on the table for about 42 million Americans who receive SNAP grocery assistance. The Department of Agriculture says debit cards that people use to buy food won’t be replenished in November due to the government shutdown. (AP Video Tassanee Vejpongsa) A shopper makes a purchase with food stamps on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles.

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Food banks and pantries were already struggling after federal program cuts this year, but now they’re bracing for a tsunami of hungry people if a pause in federal food aid to low-income people kicks... The rush has already begun. Central Christian Church’s food pantry in downtown Indianapolis scrambled Saturday to accommodate around twice as many people as it normally serves in a day. “There’s an increased demand. And we know it’s been happening really since the economy has downturned,” volunteer Beth White said, adding that with an interruption in funding for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, “it’s going to continue...

The White House said SNAP benefits will be paid out after the shutdown ends. Food banks and pantries have been experiencing historic demand since SNAP benefits halted on Nov. 1 for many Americans due to the federal government shutdown. That halt affected nearly 42 million Americans, many of whom are older or low-income, and use benefits to help pay for groceries and other essentials. President Donald Trump late Wednesday night signed a funding bill to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier said that full SNAP benefits will be paid out once the shutdown was resolved.

However, food assistance workers said the restoration of food assistance can't come soon enough as they struggle to fill in the gap left behind by SNAP. Recipients of SNAP food assistance benefits across the country face a looming deadline: Come Nov. 1, their cards may not get refilled because of the government shutdown in Washington. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which serves nearly 42 million people each month, allocates money to states on a monthly basis. Benefits were largely uninterrupted over the past three weeks because funding for October was allocated to states before the shutdown began on Oct. 1.

Stream NBC 5 for free, 24/7, wherever you are. But in a letter to SNAP state agency and regional directors on Oct. 10, the Department of Agriculture warned that there would not be enough funding to pay full SNAP benefits — also known as food stamps — in November if the shutdown persists. Many states have announced that they plan to suspend SNAP benefits if the shutdown continues into next month. That could upend people’s ability to buy food on an unprecedented scale — the program has not lapsed during any government shutdown in recent history. October 30, 2025 / 7:53 PM EDT / CBS News

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.

Food Banks Brace For Overwhelming Demand As Snap Cutoff Looms

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