News
As the government shutdown comes to an end, communities grapple with the aftermath of SNAP disruption
By: Amanda Pirani
Posted on:
ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — On a Friday morning, Tracey Crubaugh idled in a line of cars slowly moving through the Athens County Fairgrounds.
She’s one of hundreds waiting for a turn to pick up groceries from the Southeast Ohio Food Bank. The government shutdown left her family without SNAP benefits to start the month.
“We have an autistic teenager … it’s been really hard to get things that he likes because we can’t afford it,” she said. “And it’s just so hard to maintain going to foodbanks on my schedule.”
Crubaugh is a non-emergency transportation driver in the Athens area and works to support her son and wife, who both have disabilities.
In Athens County, 13.5% of residents rely on SNAP for their food according to the Department of Job and Family Services. In other parts of the region, that number reaches nearly a quarter.
Even as the shutdown comes to an end, food banks and pantries say they’re still working to meet a rise in need.
“Even though benefits are forthcoming, there has just been uncertainty and financial strain on families that we’re seeing,” said Alicia Miklos, Director of the Southeast Ohio foodbank.
President Trump signed a bill Wednesday evening ending the federal shutdown. ODJFS announced today it will begin the process of administering full SNAP benefits for November, and expects balances to reach EBT cards by mid-week.
Those working with families in need say it will take some time for communities to recover from the toll of the last two weeks.
“This shutdown ain’t over even when it’s over,” said Mike Hochron, a spokesperson for the Mid-Ohio Food Collective. “It’s going to take awhile for people to get back on their feet.”
Food banks faced record-breaking demand this month
As SNAP recipients navigated a second week without benefits, food banks reported significant spikes in need.
Jordan Furner is a single mother and works two jobs while she attends school. She said that without her mother, she’s not certain how she would have been able to feed her kids during the disruption to SNAP.
“I’m 31, I shouldn’t be needing my mother to take care of me, so it’s been rough,” she said.
OHDJFS issued some partial payments on Wednesday, which reached about half of SNAP recipients statewide. When the department administers full payments to households, it will subtract any partial payments already distributed.
As Ohio foodbanks operate with less federal funding than in the past, Miklos said $7 million in emergency TANF funding issued by Gov. DeWine last week was critical in making extra purchases.
With the additional funds, the southeast and mid-Ohio foodbanks have focused on purchasing harder-to-access foods like dairy, eggs and meat.
“Protein is the biggest need that people are seeing,” Miklos said. “We have begun ordering large quantities of food with the state of Ohio funds. So we’re doing a lot of canned and pouched chicken.”
Food banks expect to continue facing high levels of demand as the holiday season approaches. Hochron said the best thing those hoping to help can do is reach their local food pantry directly.
“The products they have a lot of versus the products they might be running short on, might change day to day,” he said.
Need remains after end of shutdown
Hochron expects SNAP recipients will continue to grapple with the aftermath of the disruption this month, even after their full balance is received.
“Every day seemed to change, but in the midst of it, there were real people,” he said. “And this was having real consequences on their lives and livelihood.”
Crubaugh, a SNAP recipient, says many people are still making difficult decisions until full balances are distributed.
“We’re having to take money set aside for bills, choosing whether we’re going to pay a bill or rent or eat,” she said.
Lisa Babel is a SNAP user from Shade. She said she’s still figuring out what the holidays will look like as she tries to catch up on bills.
“With holidays coming, my kids are coming in and I’m like, ‘uh oh, what are we going to do,’” she said.
Community members found creative ways to help
In response to struggling neighbors, some community members took it upon themselves to provide support during the shutdown.
When she learned SNAP recipients wouldn’t see their benefits to start this month, Athens resident Melissa Link organized the “November Grocery Buddy Project” which connected 14 families to neighbors in need.
Link said the need she saw outpaced those signed up for the project, so she now collects donations to purchase and deliver additional groceries with the help of her family and volunteers.
She plans to continue supporting those in need until SNAP benefits are fully restored next week.
Her husband Michael said the project has been especially important for those who struggle to find transportation to food pantries, or have special dietary needs.
“There’s one woman who signed up because there’s literally nothing at the foodbank she can eat due to her severe allergies,” said Michael Link. “This was a godsend for her because she relies on food within very narrow dietary restrictions.”
In Logan, one resident created her own porch side pantry after making some extra income.
Maddie Davis is a nursing student and works full-time, but that didn’t stop her from finding a way to help her community during the shutdown.
“Something in me just was nagging at me, like ‘You need to do this,’” she said. “So I went up to Aldi and Dollar Tree, and I got a bunch of essentials.”
Using a weatherproof shelving unit, she stocks pantry staples, toiletries and even parent necessities like diapers.
Since starting the pantry, Davis said she’s received a number of donations from the community and hopes to keep it up for anyone in need, even after SNAP balances are restored.
“When I saw it was actually helping people, I was like, I need to keep doing this,” she said. “I’m really actually helping families.”