PHOENIX – Millions of Americans could soon feel the impact of the ongoing government shutdown — especially those who rely on food assistance.
The backstory:
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, may see benefit delays or even suspensions if federal funding isn’t restored soon.
For many families, a trip to the grocery store can be stressful, but for some, it’s a struggle just to put food on the table. The government shutdown could make that struggle even harder.
Local perspective:
SNAP recipients at a Phoenix nonprofit Hope Lives Vive La Esperanza. said every dollar counts. SNAP benefits may not be issued Nov. 1 if the government is still shut down.
“It just causes a lot of confusion and I’m not sure where I’m going to be getting food for next month because of this. I mean, I don’t get that much, but every little bit helps,” said member Jake Greeley.
After a severe car crash, Jake Greeley has relied on SNAP benefits and Hope Lives for his next meal.
“Most of our members get fed breakfast and lunch every day through the food that we can rescue from grocery stores,” said Debra Kurkoski, CEO of Hope Lives Vive La Esperanza.
Kurkoski runs the nonprofit in downtown Phoenix, which serves people with mental health, recovery, and re-entry needs. Her nonprofit is able to feed about 30 people a day.
“I mean, St. Mary’s is really good to us, but obviously as the need becomes greater and their resources are stretched, when we go to the warehouse to pick up food, there will be less choices. And we’re guessing that the protein especially will be gone,” Kurkoski said.
Dig deeper:
Louretta Incognito is also a Hope Lives member. She qualified for SNAP back in 1997 when she was a single mother.
“I barely made enough to pay the rent and stuff. And even then the food… sometimes I didn’t eat to make sure my kids eat. And that’s getting the cheap stuff, you know, not even getting the good stuff,” Incognito said. “Half the time, we didn’t have money, some of us lucky to get chicken or stuff like that. But most of the time it’s just rice, beans and potatoes.”
She still uses that money for groceries, but is more worried about families who won’t be able to put a meal on the table if benefits are not issued next month.
“I’m making my food but I only got so much. I got to make it last, so I have to make the meals like cut smaller, so I have rice and potatoes that day. Instead of having a full serving, I’ll have half a serving to make sure it’s enough to last the month to eat,” Incognito explained.
Families, seniors, and those recovering from illness depend on SNAP. Over 900,000 Arizonans receive snap benefits monthly. Without it, many could face tough decisions about what meals to skip.
“It’s going to make things harder, you know, then I have to, you know, find other means to pay, you know, for food. And that’s an essential thing. Everybody needs that,” said member Krystal Shaw.
What’s next:
Some members said they have a plan in place that includes relying heavily on the nonprofit Hope Lives for their next meal.
The Source: This information was gathered by FOX 10’s Lindsey Ragas who spoke with a nonprofit on Oct. 27 that would be affected by the SNAP benefit suspension on Nov. 1.