When SNAP Benefits Are at Risk: Here’s How to Help, And the Local Heroes Doing Something About It

As millions of Americans brace for potential disruption to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) amid the federal government shutdown, families across the country are confronting a chilling reality. Their next grocery run might be delayed. For the nearly 42 million people who rely on SNAP to put food on the table, there’s a new development that may offer partial relief. Two federal judges have ruled that the Trump administration must tap into billions of dollars in emergency funds to cover some food stamp benefits in November, according to CNN.

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Still, millions of Americans could face delays in receiving aid that was supposed to hit their accounts as early as November 1. Roughly 3 million people were set to get their benefits yesterday, 13.7 million by November 5, and 26.6 million by November 10, according to estimates from USDA. That means an anxious wait for many, and an uncertain month ahead.

Food banks are already stretched thin. Parents are worried about empty lunchboxes. As a result, local heroes are finding creative ways to make sure no one goes hungry as they wait for their SNAP benefits.

How You Can Help RIGHT NOW!

If you’re looking to make a difference, here are some actions you can take—big and small—to support families who may lose SNAP:

1. Donate to local food banks or pantries.

Go through your pantry and donate shelf-stable items to your local food pantry. Cash is also especially effective because food-aid organizations can buy in bulk, access discounts, and fill gaps faster than relying solely on donated canned goods. 

Call your local pantry and ask: “What do you need most right now?” Many also accept toiletries, personal-care items or even help with delivery.

Visit FeedingAmerica.org to find your local food bank.

2. Organize or join a “meal train” or grocery-buddy system.

Do you know someone who will be affected directly? Offer to take a neighbor shopping and pick up food for them. Use Venmo or CashApp to send funds to a family in your community. Set up a mutual-aid group on Facebook or neighborhood chat for “grocery buddies” to connect.

3. Volunteer your time or ask local businesses to step up.

It’s a great time to get involved hands on. You can offer your time at the local food pantry (sorting, packing, and distributing). You can also ask local restaurants or shops if they’re willing to offer discounted or free meals for families impacted. This kind of local business support can bridge a gap when federal aid dries up.

4. Stay informed and advocate.

Encourage affected family and friends to continue eligibility actions: apply, recertify, submit updates. Agencies are advising this even as benefit disruptions loom. You can also contact your elected officials and ask them to act by:

Even one phone call or email adds pressure. 

Women Stepping Up to Fight Hunger in Their Communities

Need more inspiration? Here are some hometown heroes making a difference in their communities (IRL and online):

Brooke Tansley (Tennessee)

Tansley launched a Facebook-based “SNAP Grocery Buddy System” in East Nashville, where families whose federal food-benefit eligibility is at risk can post for help and neighbors volunteer to cover grocery runs. After posting in her neighborhood Facebook group, Tansley’s initiative connected 30 families with grocery-help volunteers in just a couple of hours.

Natalie Stites (South Dakota)

Stites, a community organizer and director of the nonprofit COUP Council in Rapid City, South Dakota, is mobilizing grassroots mutual-aid efforts in anticipation of possible interruptions to SNAP. She’s reviving the “Wotakuye Mutual Aid Society” (Wotakuye means kinship in Lakota, a Native American group of the Sioux Nation), a food-sharing network that previously fed over 3,000 people during the pandemic, to address current hunger risks.

Rachel Hartberg (Wisconsin) 

Rachel Hartberg, a mother in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, posted in a private moms-group on Facebook asking if anyone needed food assistance amid looming cuts to SNAP. Within hours, dozens of women responded, not asking for help themselves, but offering donations and support.