An Ohio Dollar General boarded up its windows over fears of potential Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) looting next month.
The store, located on South High Street in downtown Columbus, reportedly boarded up windows to prevent crimes before taking them down, according to local station FOX 8.
Why It Matters
In November, SNAP payments are likely to be delayed due to the larger government shutdown, putting access to food benefits for more than 42 million Americans in jeopardy.
Without being able to use to electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card payments, these households, which often include children and the elderly, could struggle to put food on the table.
What To Know
Just in the state of Ohio alone, approximately 180,000 residents are set to lose SNAP benefits.
In preparation for this, the Columbus store put up boards, but had removed them by 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, according to FOX 8.
The store remains open and SNAP recipients set to lose benefits are encouraged to reach out to their local food pantries.
While EBT cards will still work during the month of November, with unused benefits from prior months automatically rolling over, there will likely be no new funds loaded onto each card as the government shutdown continues.
Newsweek has reached out to Dollar General via email for comment.
To address the SNAP benefit gap, the Keep SNAP Funded 5 Act of 2025 was introduced by Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and GOP Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa.
If passed, Congress would secure full funding for the SNAP program during the government shutdown and enable uninterrupted benefits, retroactive to the start of the shutdown.
What People Are Saying
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “It's difficult to pass judgment on this particular store, as we don't know the history of looting this store may or may not have experienced. However, there are fears from an array of retailers that SNAP not being funded in November could present problems with theft, particularly in areas where participation in the SNAP program is high. Fortunately, there are many nonprofits—including community programs and churches—that are stepping up to fill the gap of food insecurity.”
Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri said in a statement: “Needy families in Missouri should not be going hungry because a bunch of politicians in D.C. can’t figure out how to open the government; 650,000 people in Missouri depend on help when it comes to the price of food and groceries. I don’t want to see these folks go without food. I hope everybody will support this legislation.”
What Happens Next
Even though local food pantry options exist for SNAP recipients missing their benefits in November, a longer shutdown could add a strain on those resources.
“The longer the shutdown persists, though, even their resources could be strained, and it's likely you could see other retailers try to use other security features out of concern over theft,” Beene said.
