The San Antonio Food Bank is prepared to help families in need as long as possible but there remains the possibility of having to resort to rationing.
SAN ANTONIO — Millions of Texans could be cut off from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if the federal government shutdown continues for much longer.
According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, SNAP benefits for November won’t be issued if the government shutdown continues past Oct. 27.
At least 3.5 million people in the Lone Star State depend on SNAP to put food on the table each month.
The potential halting of SNAP benefits has prompted the San Antonio Food Bank to prepare. The nonprofit, which helps more than 105,000 people weekly, has lately been assisting thousands of federal employees affected by the shutdown.
“We’ve seen lots of federal agencies, from TSA agents to Border Patrol,” said Eric Cooper, president and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank. “This is Military City USA. Our armed forces, many of them have reached out for help. We have distributions setup.”
Cooper emphasized that while the organization is committed to helping, it cannot permanently compensate for a disruption of this scale. For everyone one meal the food bank provides, SNAP provides 9.
“We’re going to be doing all we can, but there’s no way that the food bank can bail out the federal government,” Cooper said. “When you think about the number of households on SNAP, the dollars, should they get panicked, that they won’t see food assistance in November, they’re going to come. We would love to provide the adequate groceries to meet someone’s needs. I believe we’ll probably be having to ration if we don’t get the support we need to meet that need.”
Stephanie Green, who lives in Bandera, currently receives about $300 per month in SNAP benefits. She feels for the families with children and the struggles they may be experiencing.
Green and others are turning to homegrown solutions.
“It’s challenging. We try to find ways to make every dollar stretch that we can,” Green said. “A lot of people here are growing their own. They’re getting chickens, they’re having their own eggs, raising gardens to supplement their SNAP.”
However, Green remains hopeful for Washington lawmakers to come to an agreement soon.
“I just hope they stop arguing and come to an agreement for everyone’s benefit. We’re all Americans,” Green said.
Medicaid, CHIP, TANF, and WIC are currently not impacted by the shutdown.