KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Federal funds for SNAP food stamp benefits will stop on Saturday, raising concerns for millions of Americans.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will not use its contingency fund to cover SNAP, causing food pantries in Central Florida to prepare for increased demand.
“Second Harvest Food Bank is really the community’s emergency food supply,” said Greg Higgerson, development officer at Second Harvest Food Bank.
[VIDEO BELOW: Orlando residents, advocates prepare]
On an average day, Second Harvest Food Bank sends out 300,000 meals to more than 800 feeding programs across seven counties.
“We are in some anxious times, for sure, for a lot of people. We know that about half a million people in Central Florida rely on SNAP. So the idea that that’s going to be frozen for an indeterminate amount of time is pretty concerning,” Higgerson added.
“We move about 300,000 meals a day out to the community, and those agencies are booked to come pick that up. Our schedule is solid for the next several weeks. So they’re all trying to get out ahead of it as well. And we’re trying to provide as much food as we can possibly get out the door to those agencies.”
For every meal a food program provides, SNAP can supply nine, highlighting the scale of the impact.
[VIDEO BELOW: Florida families face SNAP crunch]
Rev. Mary Downey, CEO and founder of Hope Partnership, which helps people experiencing poverty and homelessness in Osceola County, is worried about the impact on families.
“Obviously we’re incredibly nervous and devastated that people are going to lose access to their very basic needs,” she said.
Hope Partnership relies on food from Second Harvest to support those whom they assist.
“We had a full house during our walk-in hours this week, and we just anticipate that that will grow,” Downey said.
Without SNAP, which over 24,000 people in Osceola County use, Downey expects a significant increase in demand as families face tough choices.
“We’re afraid for the people that we work with that they’re going to, that they’re going to choose, you know, paying the rent over buying food for their families -- that mothers, as we know, are going to look at their children and they’re going to say things like, ‘It’s OK, baby, I’m not hungry’,” she said.
While local food assistance programs plan to do everything they can to help, they say community donations will be crucial during this uncertain time.
“The truth is that we’ve never fully met the need for food in Central Florida in good times or bad times. But when you layer on a situation like this, where SNAP benefits, which is the primary way people get food assistance, that’s going to create a really tough situation for a lot of people,” Higgerson said.
“We’re trying to provide everything that we can provide and a lot of that is dependent on how the community steps up and helps us do that. So, we’re really hoping that people will get the message in the next week or two,” she said.