{"id":374961,"date":"2025-11-13T02:45:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T02:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/374961\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T02:45:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T02:45:14","slug":"dallas-funds-food-assistance-help-for-snap-recipients-as-government-shutdown-nears-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/374961\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas funds food assistance, help for SNAP recipients as government shutdown nears end"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dallas is funding emergency food assistance for those impacted by the federal government shutdown and interruptions to SNAP benefits<\/a>, with up to $1 million going to the North Texas Food Bank as families head into the holiday season.<\/p>\n

While <\/b>a few council members entertained delaying funding to see how the situation pans out nationwide<\/a> or ensure the funding is used properly, several stressed a need for immediacy. Members noted the need they\u2019ve seen in their communities and a lack of clarity around when impacts might resolve and how families might financially recover.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can help, people are hungry today,\u201d said council member Lorie Blair, who represents the city\u2019s southernmost district.\u201cI do not want to be a city that lets people go hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n

As representatives in the nation\u2019s capital worked to end the shutdown<\/a>, the Dallas City Council voted to give the food bank a boost. The city joins the county in supporting efforts<\/a> to curb hunger. Federal workers have gone without pay. Hundreds of thousands in North Texas depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, informally known as food stamps, which became a point of tension during the shutdown.<\/p>\n

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Texas has the highest food insecurity rate<\/a> in the U.S., according to nonprofit Feeding America. In Dallas County, the southern half experiences a larger share<\/a> of insecurity. Pantries were already feeling a strain<\/a>, with some operating at full-tilt before the shutdown and food insecurity rates rising since the pandemic. The cost of living hasn\u2019t let up, and the North Texas Food Bank lost millions through funding program cuts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The million from the city will support special distributions from the food bank for those impacted by the shutdown. It\u2019s a small price to pay, Blair said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when SNAP starts, it\u2019s not going to be funded tomorrow,\u201d Blair said. \u201cBy the time the money comes to the resident, it will be either after Thanksgiving or before the first of December.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Rob<\/p>\n

Laura Cadena, a representative in northwest Dallas, noted that Brother Bill\u2019s Helping Hand, a large pantry operation serving families in West and South Dallas, saw increased need before the shutdown. She added that it was fundraising and the community was stepping up, \u201cbut we definitely need to do our part.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some, however, questioned if the funding should be given right away, with a delay giving the council a chance to ensure how the funds are being allocated. Cara Mendelsohn, representing far North Dallas, said she herself was a donor to the food bank and residents should help pantries.<\/p>\n

However, she said she was concerned the city was \u201creacting when there might not be a need for us to spend a million dollars.\u201d She questioned whether the money should go toward other issues the city handles, adding that it\u2019s a season where \u201cit\u2019s very easy\u201d for the pantry to get food and money and she was open to waiting to understand where there was an emergency need.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate that I\u2019m even saying this, in some ways, but we have to say that because \u2026 it is our job to be very conscious and fiscally prudent with our tax dollars,\u201d Mendelsohn said.<\/p>\n

Adam Bazaldua, who represents South Dallas, said he was confused why members would consider a delay. The funding comes during a time when kids are heading into a holiday break and won\u2019t be getting meals at school.<\/p>\n

\u201cDelaying this would prevent food from being on the table,\u201d Bazaldua said. \u201cThis is absolutely a function of our government, especially when we have other forms of government who aren\u2019t even willing to come to work to do their job right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dallas is funding emergency food assistance for those impacted by the federal government shutdown and interruptions to SNAP…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":374962,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,1596,11644,14055,8629,50,6974,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-374961","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-food-insecurity","11":"tag-future-of-north-texas","12":"tag-local-politics","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-snap","15":"tag-texas","16":"tag-tx","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115540101181276325","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/374962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}