During the longest federal government shutdown in history, which lasted 43 days from Oct. 1 to Nov. 13, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps, faced severe operational strain as its federal funding lapsed. SNAP provides monthly food benefits to low-income individuals and families to help them purchase nutritious food with an Electric Benefit Card, functioning similarly to a debit card for grocery stores and farmers’ markets. These benefits are funded entirely through federal appropriations — Congress must pass a spending bill for the United States Department of Agriculture, which manages SNAP and its funding, to disburse money. The shutdown prevented Congress from approving the annual appropriations required to fund federal programs, leaving the USDA unable to legally distribute SNAP’s monthly benefits. Additionally, partial payments to SNAP funding led to the monthly benefits being delayed.
While the USDA intended to freeze payments to SNAP on Nov. 1, two federal judges ruled on Oct. 31 that the Trump administration must continue distributing benefits for November by drawing out of the agency’s contingency fund of roughly $5 billion. SNAP, which serves approximately 1 in 8 Americans, requires about $8 billion per month nationally to be fully funded. As a result of the lack of funding, food banks nationwide have reported an 1800% increase in the number of families visiting. Manager of Market Operations for West Valley Community Services, Toni Concepcion, who oversees the day-to-day efforts of the food bank, reflects on the strain the surge has placed on local food banks.
“While it breaks my heart, it makes me happy that we are able to feed those struggling with food security, and we are able to support them,” Concepcion said. “We are this safety net of a safety net of a safety net. We are their last resort, their last hope, of having community support.”
Beyond the immediate efforts of West Valley Community Services, Concepcion emphasizes the importance of a wider support network that sustains local food banks during crises. Support from their partner agency, nonprofit food bank agency Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, has allowed West Valley Community Services to increase both the quantity and variety of food available, ensuring that families affected by SNAP disruptions continue to receive essential nutrition. She highlights the importance of having community members who work together to fill the gaps when federal assistance falls short.
“The community of Santa Clara County has been answering the call,” Concepcion said. “Not only that, but Second Harvest has also dipped into their emergency funds, and has been able to, along with the larger donors that donate to Second Harvest, give us some money. Second Harvest has also given us a 20% increase in proteins, all in order to help us make sure that nobody goes unfed.”
MVHS Assistant Principal Anthony Nguyen points out that the use of food assistance programs is often stigmatized and results in shame and embarrassment in recipients. He urges the community to be more empathetic when it comes to assistance programs, whether they’re for housing, food or other resources. Nguyen believes that stigma around receiving food assistance through food banks and SNAP leads to many missed opportunities for the people these programs seek to serve. He reflects on his childhood experiences of receiving food assistance.
“I remember going shopping with my mom and her paying with something that looked like coupons, and then it became something that looked like a credit card,” Nguyen said. “As a child, to be honest, I was a little bit embarrassed at the realization that we didn’t have money to pay for groceries. Being an adult now, I realized the necessity of it all.”
Susan Salop, a board member with the Sunnyvale Education Foundation, was a guest speaker at the FUHSD board meeting on Nov. 4, advocating to the school district to help those impacted by the SNAP benefit cuts. She believes that the shutdown has caused additional problems, rather than just food insecurity.
“People who are receiving SNAP benefits may also have challenges with paying rent, with paying their water bill, with paying their electricity bill,” Salop said. “People are going to have to choose between food, utilities and housing. Food is just the beginning, and we’re looking at potentially catastrophic cascading effects. It doesn’t take much for someone to be homeless, and once you’re homeless, it’s very difficult to get back into a housing situation.”
While the government shutdown has disrupted food assistance for many, in the absence of SNAP, many in the community have started providing food assistance in their stead — including FUHSD. According to Salop, after her feedback and statement, the FUHSD board took action to support the community. They organized the assembly and distribution of food boxes to families in need on the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
“I’m glad the board administration of FUHSD put together these Thanksgiving boxes after the feedback was given,” Salop said. “I just wanted to make sure that my high school district is doing something to help these families. The good news is that they are. They’re going to be there. Obviously, there’s more to be done, but it’s a great effort.”
Although many organizations, such as the FUHSD Board and West Valley Community Services, have made progress to support families in the absence of SNAP benefits, both Salop and Concepcion recognize there’s more work to do. As of Nov. 12, USDA has announced that SNAP benefits will resume and that states will soon issue November SNAP benefits in full.
The new changes to SNAP eligibility modify the qualifications for certain recipients. SNAP normally requires 80 hours of work activities per month to receive benefits, with many granted exemptions based on their situation, but the new changes repeal work exemptions for homeless individuals and veterans. The tightened restrictions mean the number of SNAP recipients is expected to fall by 2.4 million people in the next decade. Concepcion acknowledges that the food insecurity problem ranges beyond just losing SNAP benefits, and while food banks are working to mitigate food insecurity in the short term, larger widespread changes need to be made in order to solve the food insecurity problem as a whole.
“My hope for the future is that I won’t have a job,” Concepcion said. “No one should go hungry. I am here trying to provide food for those who absolutely need it, and while it feeds my soul, while I know I’m doing very good work, it also frustrates me — I should not have this job, this job should not even exist. My hope for the future is that people treat more people kindly and they see the need to do something and make my job non-existent.”
