Idaho Food Banks reach tipping point as unpaid workers, SNAP cuts drive record demand
Maile Sipraseuth
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)– The ongoing federal government shutdown, on the edge of becoming the longest ever, has created a severe national emergency. Federal workers are going unpaid, SNAP recipients are set to only receive partial benefits this month, and the financial fallout is pushing local food banks to a crisis as they struggle to serve both affected employees and low-income families.
41.7 million people rely on SNAP benefits every month. Amid the ongoing shutdown, many are turning to food assistance.
Federal workers were also laid off, furloughed, or working without pay at the beginning of the shutdown.
According to Reuters, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that food assistance benefits will be distributed once the government shut down ends, despite a court order for his administration to make payments by Wednesday.
In Southeast Idaho, food banks are feeling the effects of the government shutdown.
“We do know that some people haven’t been getting paid that do have government jobs. This is like their second or third paycheck that they haven’t been paid. So they’re coming in a little bit more often. We suggest our clients come in twice a month, but they can come in as often as they need. And some people have been coming in weekly just because they’re just not making it right now” Kori Ellis, President of The Giving Cupboard, said.
The Idaho Falls Community Food Basket has also seen an uptick in demand for food, which is affecting the amount of food left on the shelves.
“We just finished our month-long October food drive. The food collected typically carries us through the cold winter months and into spring. That food is now being used twice as fast and will not sustain us as long as we projected. We have seen an increase in donations as we are facing this uncertain time, and we are doing all we can to meet the increased need. We are scrambling to keep up,” Ariel Jackson, Executive Director of the Idaho Falls Community Food Basket, said.
Both The Giving Cupboard and the Idaho Falls Community Food Basket said that there has been a dramatic increase in traffic since the last week.
“We saw a drastic increase between the week before last to last week, almost like a 40% increase in the amount of people that are coming. And I expect that that might keep going higher as the weeks go on, unfortunately, until the government shutdown gets taken care of,” Ellis said.
“We have seen double our regular number of families daily since the middle of last week. We are currently serving more than 100 families per day. We have seen twice the number of brand-new families in the last week as we typically see in a month,” Jackson said.
Nonetheless, both food banks are staying strong amidst the government shutdown and will persist for families that need help.
“I mean, it’s hard to gauge what’s going to happen. We hope obviously the shutdown will get taken care of as soon as possible. If it doesn’t, we’re in good financial shape. And we’re in good inventory shape, so people don’t have to worry that they are going to come here and there’s not going to be enough food,” Ellis said.
“For 45 years, Community Food Basket has been providing emergency food supplies to families facing crisis and we will continue to do that for as long as we can. This community is amazing at stepping in and stepping up when the need calls. We may have to give out a little less or different items than we typically provide, but we have absolute hope that our community will continue to do their best to support our efforts just as [we] will continue to do its best to support those who are struggling in our community,” Jackson said.