If the federal shutdown continues, the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will no longer issue benefits in North Carolina beginning November 1. The impact of this move on food banks and the individuals and families who rely on their services will likely be severe.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina works with grocery and meal assistance partners in 18 counties. Last year, they provided roughly 40 million meals. SNAP’s contribution is nearly 10 times greater — 360 million meals, assisting some 300,000 people across the region.
Second Harvest Executive Director Eric Aft says putting SNAP benefits on hold would create tremendous worry for families
"Whether it’s at the federal or state level, we simply need people to sit down with each other and hammer out agreements that are in the interest of the American people: children, seniors, veterans, families, and people right here in our community," says Aft. "They’re not just numbers."
Second Harvest is assisting at the highest level in the network’s history, with more than 85,000 unique individuals served last month alone.
Aft says Second Harvest has been cut from the state budget for the first time in 30 years. He says he will continue meeting with members of the General Assembly to make the case for continued direct funding of their efforts to purchase and distribute food from North Carolina farmers.
