As the government shutdown nears the month's end, many families across North Carolina are bracing for a lapse in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Across the state, 1.34 million North Carolinians are SNAP recipients, according to N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. That costs between $230 million and $250 million each month in federal funds that are sent to states to administer the program. About 580,000 children, including about 43,000 infants, are among the program’s beneficiaries.
In the Triangle area, more than 151,000 people in Durham, Wake, Orange, Chatham, and Johnston counties rely on SNAP, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services' September 2025 data.
N.C. DHHS officials said in a release Monday that they were directed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to delay issuing SNAP benefits for the month of November due to the federal shutdown. As of Monday, the state agency said they had not received federal funding for the program. DHHS officials also noted that it does not have funding to maintain benefits past early November for the 262,000 people who rely on WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which provides healthy food, infant formula, and nutrition education for women, mothers, and young children.
The USDA also notified states last Friday that it would not be using the $6 billion contingency reserve that Congress gave the agency to support the SNAP program. More than two dozen states, including North Carolina, have filed suit, asking a federal court to require USDA to use those funds to protect SNAP benefits.
What to do if you are a SNAP recipient
If there is money left on your electronic benefits transfer cards, then you can still spend it during the month of November. Residents can check their balance on the ebtEDGE app or ebtEDGE.com.
N.C. DHHS officials recommend that residents should continue to apply for SNAP benefits at their local Department of Social Services offices to ensure they are eligible for benefits by the time that federal funding is restored for the program.
If you or your family is in immediate need for food resources, call 2-1-1 to be connected to local resources.
A list of food assistance resources in the Triangle, most of which accept donations.
Chapel Hill Community Fridge (at CEF Carrboro and UNC Student Union)
Durham Community Fridges – How to donate
- St. Joseph's Episcopal Church on 1902 W. Main Street
- Omie's Coffee Shop and Roastery on 2300 N. Roxboro Street
- Scrap Exchange on 2050 Chapel Hill Road(A note that Scrap Exchange will be hosting a fridge opening party on Nov. 1.)
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Other organizations around the Triangle
- End Hunger Durham – a pantry search database
- Feeding the Carolinas – a pantry search database
- Feed Durham
- Inter-Faith Commons on 110 W. Main Street in Carrboro
- Inter-Faith Food Shuttle in Raleigh
- New Disabled South - Food Assistance Fund
- Raleigh Food Not Bombs
