Food pantries across the U.S. are breathing a sigh of relief as SNAP benefits are expected to resume following the end of the 43-day federal government shutdown, but organizations say their work addressing increased hunger in communities is far from over.
The federal government reopened Wednesday evening after more than six weeks of uncertainty caused by the shutdown and conflicting court rulings over SNAP benefits. During this period, food pantries scrambled to fill gaps for families who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
"We're optimistic, now more than ever, that at least partial benefits will hit the SNAP cards soon. But we haven't seen any relief quite yet," said Michele Carlisle, executive director of the Amen House in Scott County, Kentucky.
The impact on food pantries has been dramatic. Amen House typically serves about 1,500 people in November, but Carlisle said they approached that figure by November 13.
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To meet the increased demand, the pantry implemented a double distribution system this month.
"They're not just getting one full grocery cart full of food, but at their discretion and when they need it and are ready for it, they can come back for their second. And we're definitely seeing people come and do that second wave," Carlisle said.
Despite the government reopening, uncertainty remains about when SNAP recipients will see benefits restored to their cards.
"I still feel like there's a lot of uncertainty. I've even been Googling around today to just find out when exactly our membership will see those EBT dollars on their SNAP cards," Carlisle said.
By Thursday morning, guest numbers at Amen House were still slightly elevated but closer to normal levels after more than a month of increased demand.
"Hopefully we're gonna take a breath and December will look more like what we're used to," Carlisle said.
Amen House operates with what Carlisle calls a "really bold mission" to end hunger in their community, a goal that became more challenging during the federal shutdown.
"We have a really bold mission. We really think we can end hunger here. So we had to respond and that's where we landed," Carlisle said.
If you'd like to learn how to donate or volunteer, click here: AMEN House.
This article was written by Annie Brown for the Scripps News Group in Lexington.
