As the government shutdown continues to interrupt funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the 1.8 million New Yorkers who depend on the program are worried they will not be able to feed their families.

More than 300 people recently showed up at a pop-up Lower East Side food distribution, just looking for the essentials to help them survive.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 300 people recently showed up at a pop-up Lower East Side food distribution, planned in just three days by the Chinese-American Planning Council

  • Among those there, Mei Yu Wang, 85, who has been on SNAP for more than a decade

  • Wang is an American citizen and has been living in New York for more than two decades

  • She was forced to the distribution event — the first time she’s ever been to a food pantry — because of the interruption in SNAP benefits during the government shutdown

It was a last-minute event, planned in just three days by the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC).

“There’s really this overall sentiment of fear,” Marilla Li, director of programs at the CPC, said. “To just make sure that no matter what kind of limitations D.C. may set — that New York City and state are not going to leave any people behind,” she said of the motivation behind the pop-up.

Mei Yu Wang is among those worried about feeding herself. The 85-year-old says this is the first time she’s ever been to a food pantry. She has been on SNAP, the largest federal food aid program, for more than a decade, and has lived in New York for more than two decades. Wang is originally from Shanghai.

“I’m so worried without SNAP,” Wang said through a translator in Mandarin. “How can I live without SNAP?”

Wang receives $280 a month through the program, and right now her EBT card has a balance of around $97. Some of the funds were saved over from last month.

The CPC says it’s currently serving around 9,000 community members across the city who rely on SNAP, like Wang.

“I think for them, it’s the most worry,” said Sharon So, wellness coordinator at CPC Hong Ning Housing for the Elderly. “They don’t have enough money for the daily life. This [is] very important for them.”

So works with many SNAP recipients, including Wang, through her work with CPC.

Wang’s been an American citizen for 18 years and is proud of that — and that she’s never been to a food pantry. She’d always been able to stretch the government assistance she receives.

“I feel the pressure,” Wang said. “SNAP gives me peace of mind so that I don’t have to worry about not having food. With rising inflation, not having SNAP, it adds a lot of financial pressure.”

The CPC says it’s going to continue to ramp up its food distribution efforts and lean on other partner organizations during a difficult time for many New Yorkers, including those within the Chinese community.