Lebanon County food banks ‘brace for impact’ of SNAP benefit delays

Due to the federal government shutdown, money from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not be dispersed across the country and to the estimated 18,000 low-income Lebanon County residents who rely on the funding to access healthy food.

With one of the supplemental food aid programs paused, local food banks are preparing for the increased traffic. Bryan Smith, executive director of the Lebanon County Christian Ministries, said these banks are facing a crisis with the federal shutdown, the state budget overdue past the June 30 deadline, and a delay on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

“We’re really looking at this as these three things have all landed on us at the same time, which is pretty painful,” Smith said.

He said foot traffic through the pantry has increased recently with the uncertainty surrounding SNAP benefits. Last week, LCCM served almost 600 households, though it typically helps 1,000 households every two weeks.

Smith said in theory, everybody who comes to the LCCM market should be eligible for SNAP benefits based on their income, and the organization tries to determine if shoppers have access to food stamp funds when they come in.

“The gross majority of folks that come to our market get SNAP, and a gross majority of folks that get SNAP are seeking other food assistance,” he said. “We’re not designed to be the grocery store — we’re designed to be supplemental assistance to the supplemental food program, and the two supplements come together to become whole.”

The LCCM board decided to pull $350,000 out of its crisis reserve funding to help bridge the gap, with $150,000 expected to be reimbursed after the state budget is passed. Smith said he’s surprised politicians from both parties haven’t come together to create a plan and keep these assistance programs running.

“I thought by now that just from a political sense, everybody would just come together and say, ‘Well, let’s do the right thing for these programs,’ and it hasn’t happened,” he said.

And LCCM shoppers are feeling the worry around the situation. Smith said his employees have reported a tangible anxiety as low-income Lebanon Countians grapple with how they’re going to keep their pantries stocked.

David Fitzkee is the executive director of the Caring Cupboard, which has a food pantry in Palmyra and runs Jonestown Outreach Food Pantry. He said they’re also seeing an increase in demand, with the Jonestown resource helping federal employees at Fort Indiantown Gap who aren’t currently receiving paychecks.

“Ever since the shutdown was announced, we’ve been trending ever so slightly up, but now this last week, we’ve seen just shy of an 8% increase,” he said. “I suspect that’ll spike assuming the shutdown isn’t resolved by the end of the week, which doesn’t look good from what I’ve seen or heard.”

Fitzkee said the Caring Cupboard is “bracing for impact” by sourcing additional products as the start of November quickly approaches. This includes working with partner agencies like the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and taking in food from local grocery stores. Food banks are also putting out pleas for donations.

“We’re going to do our best to try and meet the demand, and I’m asking the community to kind of step up and do the same to help us help our neighbors,” Fitzkee said.

He said the Caring Cupboard relies on the three Ts — time through volunteer hours, treasure through financial contributions, and talent through donating skill sets.

People looking to contribute to food pantries can donate food or money to help keep the shelves stocked. People dealing with food insecurity can find resources close to them through a list organized by the Community Health Council of Lebanon County.

Smith said any donation amount helps, and he urged people to donate monetarily if they’re able to, so the LCCM can purchase food in bulk at a better price.

“This community always has taken care of its neighbors, and I’m confident that we’ll do it again,” Smith said.