Local food pantries are bracing for a potential surge in demand, as the federal government shutdown drags on and puts food aid for nearly 700,000 Wisconsin residents in danger of disappearing in November.
The state’s food assistance program, known as FoodShare, is funded by federal dollars and will run out of money by the end of October if the shutdown continues.
Linda Barnes, manager of the Capuchin Community Services’ House of Peace, is bracing for an increase in demand at the House of Peace’s food pantry next month. Wisconsin’s food assistance program, FoodShare, is expected to run out of money at the end of October if the federal shutdown continues.
The program is part of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, and provides $114 million in benefits to Wisconsinites every month.
Without that money, Wisconsinites who rely on FoodShare to pay for groceries will likely turn to food pantries to fill the gap come November.
Food pantry operators say they already were facing increased demand because of high grocery prices. It also comes at an already busy time for pantries, with Thanksgiving just around the corner.
“The food pantry network was not built to respond to this level of demand,” said Matt Stienstra, director of advocacy and community engagement at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, a food bank serving half the state. “The amount of food that a food pantry provides gets people through a few days, maybe a week, but it’s never meant to be someone’s sole source of food.”
Food pantries may have to turn to donors or dip into contingency funds to pay for more food if demand outstrips what they have on hand.
“We’re going to be asking our donors to dig a little deeper,” said Linda Barnes, manager of the Capuchin Community Services’ House of Peace, which houses a food pantry at West Walnut and North 17th streets.
It’s unclear how long the shutdown may last and consequently, how long residents may go without FoodShare benefits.
The shutdown is in its fourth week and Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill appeared no closer to a deal to reopen it.
Gov. Tony Evers called on the U.S. agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins, who oversees SNAP, to find a way to keep the program running through the shutdown, using other funds.
However, Rollins said the federal agency won’t have the money if the government doesn’t reopen by Nov. 1.
“The SNAP program is so big. It is so massive. … We can’t do it without the government being open,” she said in an interview with NewsNation this week.
Even if the shutdown ended tomorrow, state officials have warned there will be delays in issuing November’s FoodShare benefits.
People who rely on FoodShare are ‘rattled’
In the meantime, people who rely on FoodShare are caught in the middle.
“Our guests are rattled,” said Barnes, of House of Peace. “They are anticipating the worst.”
Linda Barnes, manager of Capuchin Community Services’ House of Peace, unpacks one of the grocery bags at the site’s food pantry, located at West Walnut and North 17th streets.
House of Peace serves about 1,000 households per month, she said, mostly people from central Milwaukee or the north side.
About a quarter of Milwaukee County’s population receives FoodShare benefits, according to state data.
Barnes expects to see more pantry-goers if FoodShare benefits are cut off. The food pantry already has been fielding worried calls from residents, she said.
“People are afraid of the unknown, especially when you’ve got kids to feed,” she said. “It’s rent, it’s We Energies, it’s medical stuff. Now you’ve got to worry about how you’re going to feed them, too. … It’s a lot.”
Karmen Johnson, of Milwaukee, was at House of Peace this week picking up groceries. She said FoodShare is the main source of food for her family.
“It’s going to be devastating for a lot of people,” she said.
NourishMKE, formerly known as Friedens Food Pantries, already has seen an increase in people coming to its four pantries to stock up on food before the end of October, Executive Director Valerie MacMillan said.
“We’ve had people outside our door before opening at every location this week,” she said.
The shutdown is happening just as other changes to the SNAP program are unfolding, including new work requirements for older recipients imposed by the massive spending bill that President Donald Trump signed in July.
That’s also put people on edge, MacMillan said.
It’s all the more reason, she said, for the community to come together and support local pantries.
NourishMKE counted 59,000 visits to its food pantries last year, a large increase over the prior year, she said.
MacMillan encouraged residents to get involved in their local pantry by donating or volunteering.
“We rely on the support of our community,” she said. “I think this is a really great opportunity for people who really care about what’s going on … to get up and … do something about it.”
How to donate to Stock the Shelves
Each October, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin newsrooms partner with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin to raise money to support the food banks. This year’s goal is to raise enough money for 550,000 meals.
To donate online, visit FeedingAmericaWI.org/StockTheShelves
To donate by mail, checks made payable to Feeding American Eastern Wisconsin, ATTN: Stock the Shelves, should be sent to 1700 W. Fond du Lac Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53205.
Enclose with your contribution the donor’s address with city, state and ZIP code for internal processing, a notation of whether the donation should remain anonymous, and/or whether the donation is in the memory of someone special. Also list the donor’s name as it should appear in a thank-you advertisement to be published in the Thanksgiving editions of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin’s daily newspapers.
For a map of food pantries, meal programs, and shelters supported by Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, visit FeedingAmericaWI.org/Find-A-Pantry.
Reporter Sarah Volpenhein can be reached at svolpenhei@gannett.com or 414-607-2159.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee food pantries brace for high demand if shutdown continues
