As thousands in KY lose SNAP benefits, some food banks scramble to serve the hungry
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- 21,158 fewer Kentucky households received SNAP from Oct 2025 to May (cabinet data).
- Many Kentucky food banks have reported increased demand for free food in recent months.
- USDA clampdown on its commodities program has made food harder to source for banks.
For much of the past year, God’s Outreach Food Pantry in Madison County would give out between 50 and 60 carts of food at its Richmond location.
Not anymore.
“We rarely have a day when it’s not under 85,” said Mandy Agee, assistant director of the food bank which also has locations in Estill and Jackson counties.
Some days, the Madison County location gives away as many as 135 carts of food.
“We don’t know if it’s termination of SNAP benefits or if its other factors. Kids are out of school. The cost of food is so high. Everything costs more,” Agee said.
Many Kentucky food banks and feeding programs have seen a jump in the number of people turning to free food to help feed their families as thousands of Kentuckians no longer receive federal-state Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, assistance. SNAP assistance helps low-income households pay for groceries.
The passage of H.R. 1 — the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — by Congress in July set new eligibility criteria for those receiving SNAP benefits Those requirements, which took effect in October, require adults ages 18 to 64 to work or volunteer 20 hours per week if they are not taking care of young children or a disabled person.
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services data shows there were 307,127 households receiving SNAP benefits in October. By May of this year, that figure dropped to 284,969 — a drop of 21,158 households across the commonwealth. The average SNAP benefit was $329 a month in May.
That same state data shows 42,870 fewer people in Kentucky now receive SNAP benefits, and about one-fourth of them are children.
That’s 11,168 Kentucky children cut from SNAP benefits, cabinet data shows.
June SNAP data figures have been released but are not finalized.
It’s not clear how many of those people who once received SNAP were terminated from the program due to the new work and volunteer requirements. People can also be terminated for other reasons, including voluntary removal from the program and failure to timely complete paperwork, cabinet and food bank staff said.
Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, has pushed back against the federal changes to the SNAP program, said Beth Fisher, a spokeswoman for the cabinet.
“Gov. Beshear and his administration have repeatedly spoken about the importance of preserving SNAP to help fight hunger,” Fisher said. “Last June, Gov. Beshear sent a letter to Kentucky’s Congressional Delegation urging them to oppose H.R. 1 and warning them of the harm that these cuts would have on Kentucky families.”
Some food banks scramble
Agee said she and other food banks are struggling to find enough food to meet the surge in demand.
At the same time the new SNAP requirements have taken effect, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has also clamped down on its commodities program, which provides free food to feeding programs.
“The food is getting harder to source on top of the increase in demand,” Agee said.
Kentucky food banks also faced a surge in demand in late October and November after a federal government shutdown meant funding for all SNAP recipients nearly ran out. In October, nearly 600,000 Kentuckians depended on SNAP to pay for groceries. Feeding programs across Kentucky have been strained since late 2025.
Calvary Baptist Church in Laurel County has a monthly food giveaway program. On June 22, the church served more than 300 carloads of people, said Associate Pastor Dennis Gibbs.
That’s a jump from previous months.
“We would normally do about 200 or 230,” Gibbs said. “We had a lot of first-time people that come through yesterday (June 22).”
Gibbs said Calvary Baptist does not have income or other requirements. It’s a ministry of the church. It’s not clear if the jump in need is due to the clamp down on SNAP eligibility, he said.
The need for food affects a broad cross-section of Laurel County, he said.
Gibbs said the monthly giveaway is well attended and also serves a diverse population — seniors, elderly widows and widowers, young families with children and single parents.
“Now that school is out, we are seeing more kids with their parents,” Gibbs said.
No surge in the number of volunteers
Some Kentucky feeding programs have not yet seen an uptick in need.
Brenda Russell, executive director of God’s Pantry Food Bank in Somerset, said she still has 100 slots available in her senior feeding program, which has separate and more restrictive income guidelines than the pantry’s general programs.
“We haven’t seen a huge increase,” Russell said.
Russell said she has spoken to some people who have lost SNAP benefits over the past eight months. Many didn’t lose the benefit due to the new work requirements, she said.
“It was because they did not turn in their paperwork in time,” Russell said.
Russell said she thought she would see a surge in volunteers at God’s Pantry after the new requirements went into effect in October.
She did not.
They had a few people show up to volunteer. They didn’t last long, she said.
“I guess they figured out something else,” Russell said.
Trissia Scott of Thankful Hearts Food Pantry in Pikeville also thought she would get more volunteers due to the new requirements. Scott also did not see a bump in people seeking volunteer work at the pantry in order to keep their SNAP benefits.
Scott said her program, which provides food multiple times a month, has not experienced a noticeable jump in the number of people seeking help.
“But we are struggling to keep the pantry stocked,” Scott said.
With grocery, gas and other prices soaring, everyone is feeling the financial pinch, she said. Many people who normally donate to food pantries can no longer afford to do so, staff at several food pantries said.
“We are all struggling to keep food on our tables,” she said.
