PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
(WTAQ-WLUK) — If you use SNAP or the FoodShare program in Wisconsin, be prepared to see a delay in your November benefits.
It’s a direct result of the ongoing federal government shutdown.
This week, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services began notifying users of the expected disruption.
It’s unclear how long the delay will be, as it will depend on the length of the government shutdown.
“We don’t know exactly yet how many people are going to be impacted. We don’t know the details of if the benefits are going to be delayed by a day or by a week, or hopefully not more,” Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin Matt Stienstra said.
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is the largest food bank in the state, serving about 400 food pantry partners. It also works closely with the DHS.
Stienstra said people receive FoodShare benefits between the 2nd and the 15th each month, and even a delay of a couple days will hurt families.
“The length of that delay directly impacts hunger and food insecurity in our communities and is going to directly impact our response to that need,” Stienstra said.
The average family in Brown County gets $75 of benefits a week. Stienstra said more than 40% of FoodShare beneficiaries are children.
Nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites rely on FoodShare benefits, and about $113 million in FoodShare dollars are spent at grocery stores statewide each month.
Given the fluidity of the situation, area pantries like Paul’s Pantry in Green Bay are doing their best to prepare for an influx of people. They say they’re ready.
In the past three years, Paul’s Pantry has seen a record number of people come through, serving about 250 households per day.
“We’ve kind of always planned for situations like this. COVID and different things that have happened over the years,” Paul’s Pantry Executive Director Craig Robbins said.
Robbins said if Paul’s Pantry needed to serve an extra 50 households a day, it wouldn’t be a problem.
The pantry saves money in an emergency food account to help in these situations. Robbins said it’s all thanks to the generosity of the Green Bay community.
“We kind of pride ourselves on being ready. What good would we be if we weren’t ready?” Robbins said.
But other smaller area pantries say a possible increase in need would put a strain on them, forcing the pantries to stretch their food supply and give out smaller portions.
DHS said depending on the length of the shutdown, FoodShare benefits may not be available at all in November. While November FoodShare benefits are in question, the program is fully funded through this month.
Democratic Governor Tony Evers issued this statement regarding the potential loss of benefits:
With rising costs and President Trump’s chaotic trade wars, Wisconsin families are already struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table, and every day that Republicans continue this reckless and harmful shutdown is another day that our kids, families, farmers, veterans, seniors, and communities fall even further behind. There’s no excuse for it. None. No person should ever go hungry—most especially not in the United States of America. President Trump and Republicans in Congress must work across the aisle and end this shutdown now so Wisconsinites and Americans across our country have access to basic necessities like food and groceries that they need to survive.”
Rep. Tony Wied, R-8th District, also issued a statement:
House Republicans voted for a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open and ensure critical programs like FoodShare continue uninterrupted. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats, including our Senator Tammy Baldwin, have chosen to hold Wisconsinites’ access to food hostage by voting to shut down the government a dozen times. It is unconscionable that they would continue to play political games while the American people suffer. I am calling on Senator Baldwin and the rest of her Democratic colleagues to change course and vote to open the government immediately so Wisconsinites in need do not have to worry about going hungry.
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