Food insecurity is a growing concern for people across the country and a recent withholding of SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, has increased that insecurity.
SNAP is funded by the federal government, and those funds have been withheld since a Congressional shutdown began Oct.1.
When SNAP is no longer suspended, families should receive retroactive benefits, but the issue is tied up in court, including a Friday night emergency ruling from the Supreme Court that blocked for two days a lower court’s ruling that full benefits must be paid. After some states – including Connecticut – stepped in to pay their residents’ benefits themselves, on Sunday, the Trump administration advised them to stop or face financial penalties.
When Connecticut’s Gov. Ned Lamont announced the state would step in, he called the actions of the Trump administration “cruel,” and said, “I am extremely appreciative of all the community partners and generous people of Connecticut who’ve rallied over these last few days to ensure that nobody in our state goes hungry.”
A timeline of the upheaval begins on Oct. 24, when the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) posted a memo to regional SNAP directors that said, “Households shall receive retroactive benefits once the suspension is lifted upon the availability of federal funding.”
On Oct. 27, Connecticut’s Gov. Ned Lamont said in a press release that the state gave $3 million to Connecticut Foodshare, a nonprofit organization that provides food for pantries and programs across the state.
In compliance with a ruling in Rhode Island ordering USDA to continue funding SNAP, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services, which administers the SNAP program, released a statement on Nov. 3 that said it would deplete the rest of its $4.65 billion in SNAP contingency funds to provide reduced SNAP benefits during the month of November. Then the White House clarified the delivery of the benefits would take time to distribute.
After two separate judges ruled that withholding SNAP benefits was illegal, and one judge ordered the administration to distribute all funds by Friday, the administration appealed to the Supreme Court. As of this writing, a significant portion of the nation’s 42 million SNAP beneficiaries continue to await their benefits.
To make sure people are fed, the United Way of Greater New Haven held an emergency grocery packing & distribution on Friday at two city locations. There, workers packed 400 grocery bags in the morning and then distributed the groceries at the Lincoln Bassett School.
For 1 in 8 residents of the U.S., this goes beyond politics.
“Some of my best friends are on SNAP benefits,” said Gabriel Aliendro, a Diversity Peer Educator at the Myatt Center. “They don’t know how many people depend on it.” Aliendro said he would volunteer his time to help package and distribute food. He said he learned about the food distribution event with United Way of Greater New Haven through an email sent by the Office of Residential Life.
Without SNAP, already-burdened food pantries feel even more pressure to provide groceries for people in need.
The university’s campus pantry, the New Haven Pride Center and Christian Community Action are some of the local organizations that have collected donations of nonperishable foods in the past week. On campus, organizations such as Lambda Pi Upsilon and FSSA are also collecting donations of money and food.
Volunteers and community leaders are staying hopeful for the future. Michael Abreu, the food pantry and clothing closet assistant at Loaves and Fishes New Haven, said that with fewer people buying food using stamps, stock in grocery stores might go up.
“With more stock, more grocery stores will put their food items on discount so grocery prices might go down,” said Abreu.
Since early November, representatives of the Coordinated Food Access Network have held events to work with New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and state representatives, including Rosa DeLauro, to call for the federal government to continue its SNAP funding.
The university’s Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) community and advocacy board plans to host a discussion about the government shutdown’s effects on food assistance and academic funding.
“We would love for you all to be there,” said Dora Crespo, the USGA vice president of community, advocacy and diversity. She said she also hopes to include a political science professor in the discussion.
“[The shutdown]’s caused real hardships, lost jobs, struggling businesses, and uncertainty for many families,” said Crespo. “But I’ve also seen people come together, supporting one another in small but meaningful ways. Despite the challenges, it’s shown how resilient our community can be.”
For a list of food providers in your area in Connecticut, call 2-1-1, press five when prompted and enter your zip code. You will then receive a text with a link to a list of local pantries. All university students have access to the campus food pantry and clothing closet at 19 Ruden St. The hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.
