Local support steps up as SNAP benefits halted

NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON — Food pantries across North Central Washington have seen immediate impacts following the recent lapse of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on Nov. 1 due to the continued government shutdown.

“We are seeing a huge influx of people coming in. We've been busier than ever,” said Chelan Valley Hope Operations Manager Mikayla Gonzalez.

The federal program provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget, supporting approximately 42 million people across the country. Nearly 1 million Washingtonians rely on the federal SNAP program, according to Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson.

One in 11 Chelan County residents, and one in 10 in Douglas County, rely on SNAP benefits. In Okanogan County, one out of every five residents relies on these benefits, making it the second highest rate in the state.

“We're rural, we're isolated, we don't have a lot of living wage jobs…Having SNAP benefits cut is not going to help. People were struggling before, and they're going to struggle even more when these benefits are lost,” said Okanogan County Community Action Council (OCCAC) Executive Director Rena Shawver.

According to data from the National Institute of Health, Okanogan County has one of the highest poverty rates in the state at 13.1 percent, twice the state’s average.

“This is a really hard time, listening to all the cuts that are happening between Medicaid and other supportive programs, because our community is dependent on those types of programs,” said Shawver.

In Wenatchee, the Chelan Douglas Community Action Council’s (CDCAC) pantry saw an estimated 30 percent visitor increase on its first operating day since benefits were halted.

“We saw a record number of people,” said CDCAC Executive Director Alan Walker.

The pantry received 44 brand new visitors in the first two days – a stark increase from a typical day, which sees about three to four new visitors on average, according to staff. Walker said the increase in traffic was anticipated – leaning on lessons from pandemic-era crowds – and that supply was increasing as awareness spread throughout the community.

“Our shelves are not overly full right now, but the community has been exceptional in their response. We’ve seen some substantial donations, which is allowing us to start ordering food. It takes time for things to come in, but we’ve started,” said Walker. “People are really stepping up.”

In Leavenworth, Upper Valley MEND’s Community Cupboard had about a 50 percent increase in visitors, serving 193 household members compared to 126 at the same time last year.

“I can say that yesterday was the first time that staff had ever seen a line as long as it was at the Cupboard…It was hard to keep the shelves stocked, not because we didn't have the food, but because it there were just so many people in the pantry, and it kept flying off the shelves,” said Upper Valley MEND Interim Executive Director Hillary Clark.

SNAP benefits are loaded onto a card and can be spent on food and beverages at grocery stores and farmers markets, similar to a debit card. According to Clark, this method not only brings money into the community, as the dollars are spent at local stores, but it also offsets the demand at food pantries. While the Community Cupboard has received overwhelming support through donations and volunteer hours, Clark says the demand is simply outgrowing the pantry space.

“The issue with that is that food banks aren't set up to meet that kind of need. Normally, people would be using their SNAP benefits to buy food at grocery stores and at markets,” said Clark. “We don't have the kind of infrastructure to handle that many people at a time.”

SNAP Benefits remain uncertain

“We don't know when people are going to get their benefits, and there's been conflicting information on when, or even if those benefits are going to be paid. So it seems like it's always changing,” said Clark.

On Oct. 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent a letter to state SNAP agencies warning that there would be insufficient funds to pay November SNAP benefits if the government shutdown continued. The news prompted two federal lawsuits – one of which involved 25 states, including Washington – against the agency for “unlawfully suspending” SNAP benefits despite having contingency funds available; both judges ruled against the USDA.

However, uncertainty remains regarding if, when and how much benefits will be restored, with information changing day by day. In light of an initial court ruling, the USDA said it would use contingency funds to pay 50 percent of the allotment (which was later updated to 65 percent). 

The next day, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that SNAP benefits would “be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government.” In a press briefing shortly after, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said they were complying with the court order and that the president was referring to future benefits, according to Reuters. However, benefits wouldn’t be provided immediately.

"The recipients of these SNAP benefits need to understand it's going to take some time to receive this money," Leavitt said.

On Nov. 6, a federal judge ordered that emergency funds be used to full benefits be paid out immediately. As of Nov.7, the Trump administration moved to appeal the order. According to AP News, it asked to “suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund, and instead allow it to continue with planned partial SNAP payments for the month.”

“This has given people a ton of anxiety. We are already in a tumultuous time…They are very concerned as to how they're going to keep this up. It's just so common for people to be one paycheck away from being unhoused, one medical expense away from losing their stability,” said Gonzalez.

Other avenues of support

According to Gonzalez, Chelan Valley Hope has made food assistance a priority while benefits are halted. The organization is using previously awarded grant funding to pay grocery bills up to the dollar amount from recipients’ SNAP benefits, and helping those who have already bought groceries with other expenses, such as rent.

“That is really helping…But of course, this grant is supposed to be helping us maintain our normal operations, and so that will be pulling funds from what our normal capacity is,” said Gonzalez. “We're just trying to meet the need that is occurring right now.”

Chelan Valley Hope and others are also stepping up their outreach for community support, seeking volunteers, encouraging food drives, and accepting monetary donations.

“[Our local auto dealers] have campaigns running to fill the a truck with food, or we have local restaurants who are doing pay it forward, so that when you go in for a meal, you can pay for somebody's meal, and then they'll provide us with a voucher that we can then give to people,” said Shawver. “We're seeing a lot of creative things start as a result of this.”

The state has also pledged weekly support until SNAP benefits are restored. Governor Ferguson directed the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services to shift nearly $2.2 million per week in funding to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, which provides grants directly to food banks.

“That will definitely be really helpful. It's going to mean that we're going to have more food coming to us from the Chelan Douglas Community Action Council, which is great, and so will the other food pantries across our region,” said Clark.

The community action councils provide support to local pantries across the region. To find a list of pantries, or support the community action councils, visit cdcac.org for Chelan and Douglas counties, or occac.com for Okanogan. Both Upper Valley MEND and Chelan Valley Hope provide wraparound services for their areas. To find out ways to support, visit uvmend.org or chelanvalleyhope.org.

“We really don’t know how long the reduction or the elimination of SNAP benefits will continue, so we are really thankful that our community is responding and helping us meet the need. We couldn’t do it without the community’s support, and the community is really stepping up to support us,” said Walker.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media