SNAP benefits cut off during shutdown, driving long lines at food pantries

apnews.com

17 points·clanky··11 comments

Not happy with this but people in need should hit up the local food bank. I started volunteering last year and the quantity of food provided is quite substantial. There are some issues with those people that do not have the ability to cook food or refrigerate such, but in my town, the offerings look pretty good.

> Not happy with this but people in need should hit up the local food bank.

USDA cuts in the funding for its food bank program earlier in the year make that less useful than it ought to be.

https://www.today.com/food/news/usda-food-bank-cuts-rcna2000...

https://www.npr.org/2025/11/01/nx-s1-5588572/snap-recipients...

https://www.texasobserver.org/trump-cuts-texas-food-banks/

but people in need should hit up the local food bank.

And those of us with the means should consider donating (food|money|time|whatever) TO said food banks.

I plan to put my money where my mouth is tomorrow, and go out and buy a bunch fo stuff from the "current needs" list of my local food bank and take over to them. It's not much, but given the current situation I figure every little bit is better than nothing.

Some of the local (and chain) stores really step up at the local food bank. The participants can walk away with nearly $60 bags of retail price breakfast sandwiches, micro wave often needed. But sandwiches too. Close to expiring from a retail point of view. But impressive. Milk, Eggs, pasta, fresh fruit. None of this is federal where I volunteer. They do have a small area of federally funded food, but it is greatly offset by the local donations.

> And those of us with the means should consider donating (food|money|time|whatever

One caveat: it's much much better to donate money than food directly.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com