‘A lot of worry.’ Uncertainty over SNAP payments weighs on KY food banks, families
About 600,000 Kentuckians — roughly 13% of the commonwealth’s population — are grappling with the question of where their next meal will come from, state and local leaders said at a Tuesday morning press conference in Louisville.
Families and food pantries are no longer bracing for the impact of withheld federal food assistance funds, said Vincent James, president and CEO of Dare to Care Food Bank in Louisville.
“They are in the middle, experiencing it, day in and day out,” James said. “We’re seeing lines literally doubling, and even (in) some instances, tripling, as the demand and the need is rising.”
November payments of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, have been delayed amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. The Trump administration told a federal judge Monday it will only issue partial payments, and it isn’t clear when those reduced benefits, formerly called food stamps, will be paid to the 42 million low-income Americans who rely on them.
Friday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced he was using $5 million from the state’s “rainy day” fund to support Feeding Kentucky’s network of food banks amid SNAP delays.
Speaking at the food bank’s distribution center, James said they normally see 25 to 40 families a day seeking emergency food boxes.
Monday, they saw 117.
“They were literally standing at the door, waiting for us to open up,” he said. “That should never be the case. And we’re seeing this because families are concerned — and they rightfully should be concerned — about how they’re going to have access to food.”
Joined by Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, First Lady Britainy Beshear and Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Brian Yearwood, James praised the governor’s support of food banks. But, they warned that alone doesn’t make up for federal dollars.
Kentucky’s monthly SNAP benefits cost about $106 million.
Coleman said the state’s next steps depend on the federal government, and if and when SNAP funds are released.
“We stand ready to continue to try to stem this tide, but there’s no nonprofit, there’s no state government, there’s no organization that can make up for the funding that would otherwise come from the federal government,” she said after the press conference, “and so this is just a stop-gap measure on our part to try to alleviate that pain and suffering.”
Melissa McDonald, executive director of Feeding Kentucky, said Kentuckians are worrying about how they’re going to pay for food, medication and other necessities.
“We’re seeing a lot of worry,” she said. “We’re seeing a lot of uncertainty, of not knowing if the SNAP benefits will end up landing on individuals’ cards, whether it’s a partial payment, whether it’s no payment.”
They may be stuck in a situation where they’ve never been to a food bank, or haven't needed assistance in years, McDonald said. But it’s OK to need help, she added.
“All of the food bank networks in our state, across the country, everywhere, they treat people with dignity,” she said, “because we know that food, it’s a major fact of life that no one can survive without food, and to know that they’ve got your back.
“You can show up and there’s no judgment, and they’re going to welcome you, and you’re going to have an opportunity to get food, to be able to go home and eat, and to be able to know that they’ll also connect you with resources.”
Coleman slammed the “ridiculous behavior from politicians who are completely out of touch” with the suffering of Americans.
“They’ve been on vacation for months. They’re out playing golf. They’re going on trips. They’re having parties,” she said. “They’re doing all of this stuff while our schools are collecting donations.”
Coleman said her daughter attends a low-income school in Frankfort, where each child has access to free breakfast and lunch. And yet, they are having classroom competitions to collect donations for families in need.
“So our schools that are already underfunded, understaffed and undervalued are attempting to do more than the most powerful government in the world,” she said. “There is something seriously wrong with that. And if that’s not reason enough for politicians in D.C. to come to the table and to make this right, then I don’t know what is.”
