‘It’s a crisis.’ KY food banks, pantries brace for Nov. 1 SNAP cutoff
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- SNAP cutoff Nov. 1 threatens 600,000 Kentucky residents; state lacks $106M
- Food banks report rising demand, dwindling USDA shipments and supply gaps
- Pantries seek donor aid and press Congress to restore SNAP funding promptly
Nicky Stacy was scrambling Thursday.
The founder of Hazel Green Food Project in Wolfe County, she typically gives out food on the second and fourth Fridays of the month.
But she had to cancel this week’s giveaway. The community’s needs had been too severe earlier in the week, and the organization didn’t have enough food to give away more on Friday.
“Just today, I got calls for 20 emergency food boxes for families. Twenty,” Stacy said.
Two months ago, those types of calls were rare — maybe once or twice a week.
The skyrocketing cost of food, utilities and other basic needs means more people are turning to food banks and programs like Stacy’s for food.
And as the federal government shutdown stretches into its third week, advocates worry the demand for free food may explode again.
The federal government has warned that starting Nov. 1, because of the shutdown, it will not fund the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, which helps low-income Americans pay for groceries. Nearly 600,000 people in Kentucky use SNAP benefits.
If those benefits disappear, Stacy and others who run free pantry and feeding programs worry they won’t be able to meet the surge in demand. Gov. Andy Beshear said earlier this week the state does not have money to fund the program for November. According to federal data, it would cost about $106 million a month.
Another chief concern is a dwindling inventory of food at area food banks, which provide food for programs like Hazel Green.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture program that allows food banks to order food directly from the USDA has closed because of the shutdown.
Food orders that were previously sent will be honored, so those shipments will arrive through the end of December, said officials at Kentucky food banks. But it’s not clear how long that inventory will last if there is a steep spike in demand.
“For every one meal a food bank provides, SNAP provides nine,” said Michael Halligan, president and CEO of God’s Pantry Food Bank, which serves 50 counties in Central and Eastern Kentucky. God’s Pantry supplies food to Stacy and Hazel Green.
“We cannot fill this gap alone,” Halligan said in a statement. “Without significant support from donors, we cannot begin to meet the growing need. The generosity of our donors is more critical than ever.”
Laura Brooks, director of marketing and communications for God’s Pantry, was more blunt: “It will be a crisis if the federal shutdown continues and these people do not have access to their (SNAP) benefits come Nov. 1.”
Rising food prices means increased demand
Pantries are also reporting an increase in demand from federal workers, many of whom received no pay check or a partial pay check since the shutdown began, Brooks said.
“A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck,” she said. A neighbor who works for the USDA recently called Brooks because she wanted to know how to access food services through God’s Pantry. There are an estimated 17,000 federal workers in Central and Eastern Kentucky.
Alexus Richardson, director of communications for Dare to Care, a food bank that serves 13 counties in Indiana and Kentucky, including Jefferson County, said a recent survey of 400 service providers found that 47% have seen an increase in need since the federal shutdown began. About 60% of that increase in demand is from seniors and families with young children, Richardson said.
“We have seen 48% increase in food insecurity in over two years. We are already seen increase demand, less USDA help and now we have to deal with less food available to us from the USDA due to the shutdown,” Richardson said.
Richardson said they, like God’s Pantry, are looking for more financial and food donations. But they are also urging Congress to either find money to fund SNAP or end the shutdown.
“This is a policy issue,” Richardson said. But hunger effects everyone — Republicans and Democrats. “These are real people impacted by this.”
And even if SNAP funding is restored before Nov. 1, there will be more people who will need food banks and pantries for help, Halligan said.
As part of the budget reconciliation bill passed July 4, there are new work requirements for people on SNAP who do not have children.
People between the ages of 18 and 64 must show they are working, volunteering or in school to receive benefits. There are some exemptions for people with disabilities and veterans. That new work requirement will likely mean more people being terminated from the program, Halligan said.
“We will still see an increase in demand over time,” Halligan said.
This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
