Beyond politics — Real people are hurting | Opinion

The Revs. Shawn Berkebile and Matthew Best

This week, a woman walked into church in tears after learning that her SNAP benefits would not be available in November due to the ongoing government shutdown.

She wasn’t there to debate politics. She came because she didn’t know how she would feed her children.

Across the Commonwealth, millions of Pennsylvanians are facing the same reality. Reports indicate that SNAP payments were frozen on Oct. 16, and uncertainty continues to ripple through programs like WIC and Medicaid, leaving families anxious and nonprofits overwhelmed.

Thousands of households in York and Adams Counties depend on these benefits each month, and many will soon turn to organizations like New Hope Ministries, the Hanover Area Council of Churches, the York County Food Bank, and local congregations that step in when others cannot.

All of these local ministries rely on the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank for much of their food supply. When the Food Bank’s reserves are depleted—as they are now—local food pantries are forced to purchase food from wholesale providers. That means your donations are needed more than ever, but each dollar simply doesn’t go as far. This is not a temporary problem—it’s a current crisis with lasting effects that will be very difficult to rebound from.

In Dauphin County, where Christ Lutheran Church Health Ministries operates in the Allison Hill neighborhood of Harrisburg, the need is just as great. Nearly 30,000 residents rely on SNAP benefits each month to help put food on the table. When those benefits are disrupted, families who already live on the margins have nowhere to turn except to ministries like Christ Lutheran’s free health clinics—places that provide food, care, and compassion to people who have nowhere else to go.

“When people come to our health ministry clinics, no one asks what political party they belong to,” says Pastor Matthew Best of Christ Lutheran Church. “We ask their name and what they need. The goal is not to win an argument—it’s to make sure no one goes hungry or without care.”

Christ Lutheran’s Health Ministries operate at the very bottom of the healthcare system—where compassion meets crisis—offering free clinics that now see nearly 850 patient visits each month, up from 560 in January. “We often joke that we run the clinics with duct tape,” Pastor Best says. “Now we’ll just try to make the tape go farther. This is God’s ministry, and God will make it work.”

These cuts have lasting, costly impacts that ripple through every level of care. When government stalls because of political egos or the idolatry of being “right,” the cost is paid by the most vulnerable among us. Politics is not a sport. There are no winners when real people lose access to food, healthcare, or hope.

Jesus said in Matthew 25, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.” That is not a metaphor—it’s a mission.

Now is the time to act. Pray for our elected leaders to work together with humility and urgency. Contact your elected representatives and encourage them to do what they were elected to do- serve the people.

Give, financially, if you can—to your local nonprofit, food bank, or church ministry. Several have been named here, but this is certainly not the full list of those faithfully working together to share love and compassion in this critical time of need.

Volunteer. Speak up. Show up.

Our neighbors are counting on us—not to take sides, but to take action.

The Rev. Shawn Berkebile is Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Abbottstown and board member, New Hope Ministries

The Rev. Matthew Best is Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, and Harrisburg Director, Health Ministries at Christ Lutheran.