North Carolinians Cope With Snap Benefits Freeze, Navigate New Food Insecurities

By Rachel Crumpler and Rose Hoban

Jessica Bollinger, a azygous mother of 2 from McDowell County, spent Saturday poring complete her family fund and trying to make nan numbers work. On nan 3rd of each month, she usually receives $318 successful national nutrient assistance to bargain groceries. 

But this month, arsenic nan national shutdown continues, Bollinger and galore North Carolinians are anxiously waiting — uncertain when, aliases if, those costs will arrive.

Jessica Bollinger pinch her 5-year-old daughter. She is 1 of much than 1.4 cardinal low-income North Carolinians who dangle connected SNAP benefits to thief put nutrient connected nan table. Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Bollinger

The hold has near a sizable spread successful Bollinger’s nutrient fund and caused mounting worry astir really to support her 14- and 5-year-old daughters fed.

“My biggest interest is keeping nutrient connected nan array for my children,” Bollinger said. “Parents for illustration maine are doing everything we tin to survive, and sometimes it becomes a regular struggle.”

To screen nan costs caught up successful nan national government’s gridlock, Bollinger plans to displacement money she’d usually usage for different bills — rent, electricity, her telephone — toward groceries. Not because she has other to spare, but because she has nary choice. She said her landlord has already agreed to fto her salary half her rent astatine nan commencement of nan period and nan remainder astatine nan extremity of nan month.

The abrupt nonaccomplishment of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits — which Bollinger calls a lifeline — has near her successful a precarious position. Even pinch her full-time occupation arsenic a lawsuit head astatine The Friendship Home for Women and Children, a bum shelter successful Marion, she said she has small separator to make ends meet arsenic a azygous parent.

“The insecurity hits fast,” Bollinger said. “Food runs low, nan kids commencement to interest and accent fills nan house. It is not conscionable astir hunger.”

Her 14-year-old girl precocious asked, “Mom, what are we gonna do? Are we gonna person food?” 

Bollinger told her, “Yeah, you will person what you need,” moreover though she wasn’t definite herself. To thief capable immoderate of nan gap, she’s turning to organization resources and section nutrient pantries.

Bollinger’s acquisition mirrors that of much than 1.4 cardinal low-income North Carolinians who dangle connected national assistance from SNAP to thief put nutrient connected nan array — including much than 580,000 kids and 151,000 seniors crossed nan state. 

SNAP payments average astir $175 a period per North Carolinian recipient — much than $200 cardinal full for nan authorities — each period to thief screen nutrient and nutrition needs.

For respective weeks, though, SNAP participants, nutrient pantries and different societal work providers and region and authorities officials person been bracing for that money to extremity flowing amid nan authorities shutdown that moved into its 2nd period complete nan weekend. 

It was a play of disorder for galore successful nan nutrient assistance world.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers nan SNAP program, has astir $5 cardinal successful a contingency reserve, but questions complete whether those costs tin beryllium aliases should beryllium utilized during this shutdown are being weighed successful 2 lawsuits pending successful national court.

Federal agriculture section officials announced Oct. 24 that they would not pat nan emergency reserves to support payments flowing to nan 42 cardinal SNAP recipients crossed nan country, contradicting earlier communications from nan agency. In different authorities shutdowns, SNAP was ever a constant, thing that was true during a shutdown successful Trump’s first term.

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined one of nan national lawsuits past week, seeking to compel nan Trump management to proceed nan funding.

On Friday afternoon, Oct. 31, national judges successful Massachusetts and Rhode Island some ordered nan Trump management to supply SNAP recipients pinch benefits successful November, either done a contingency money astatine nan Department of Agriculture aliases done continuing SNAP benefits. Trump had not announced by Sunday day whether he planned to entreaty those decisions.

Trump posted to his societal media platform connected Oct. 31 that “government lawyers do not deliberation we person nan ineligible authority” to proceed paying for SNAP, contempt nan truth that his management has tapped aggregate accounts to salary subject troops during nan shutdown.

Amid nan uncertainty, SNAP benefits didn’t travel for nan first clip successful nan program’s 60-year history. Once a scheme is successful spot to resume SNAP funding, it will still return clip for national and authorities officials to administer nan benefits. 

Providers look an influx of need

Even earlier nan Nov. 1 lapse, nutrient pantries crossed nan authorities saw much demand. Many reported fielding a flood of telephone calls and inquiries from organization members hopeless to portion together ways to provender themselves and their families.

Amy Stevens, programme head astatine McDowell Access to Care and Health, a nonprofit dedicated to providing group pinch nan resources they request to beryllium healthy, recovered much than 50 voicemails waiting — each group asking astir nutrient resources — a week agone erstwhile she arrived astatine work. More than one-third of McDowell County residents study experiencing nutrient insecurity, according to nan county’s 2024 Community Health Assessment, and astir 15 percent of nan region relies connected SNAP.

The statement operates a nutrient container transportation programme successful business pinch Foothills Food Hub. Usually, they present astir 70 boxes a week, but Stevens said they distributed much than 100 boxes connected their first transportation time past week.

“The region hadn’t moreover started,” Stevens said. “People are trying to prepare.”

“We’re getting calls each time about, ‘Where tin I spell to get food? What tin you guys do to help?’” Stevens added. “People are scared, and we’re frightened because nan resources are slim.”

The scarcity has been exacerbated by the termination of nan Medicaid-funded Healthy Opportunities Pilot, aliases HOP, which Stevens said had been “robust” successful McDowell and provided a measurement to get local, caller nutrient to organization members. 

“There was this beautiful assortment of caller foods, and [we] really saw immoderate unthinkable benefits, healthwise,” she said. “The cessation of HOP had already driven up nan need.” 

Some thief is coming from nan state. On Friday, Gov. Josh Stein announced that North Carolina would reallocate $10 cardinal from nan Department of Health and Human Services to section nutrient banks crossed nan state. Another astir $8 cardinal is being contributed by philanthropic foundations and different backstage donors.

And connected Sunday afternoon, Mecklenburg County authorities officials said they will denote plans to give $740,000 to support nutrient resources for much than 126,000 SNAP recipients successful nan county.

That’s a driblet successful nan bucket compared pinch nan much than $200 cardinal that’s needed each period successful North Carolina to support SNAP going. Private philanthropy won’t beryllium capable to capable nan increasing request for each nan residents experiencing nutrient insecurity, nutrient programme board have said.

Even a short interruption of benefits has an impact, aggregate providers crossed nan authorities told NC Health News. Food assistance providers are anticipating a surge of individuals and families for illustration Bollinger’s looking for sustenance without their monthly SNAP dollars. 

“It whitethorn look that 1 time aliases 1 week aliases moreover 1 period is not a large woody aliases not highly impactful, but for nan child, for nan senior, for nan big who’s trying their best, 1 time is very agelong if you’re hungry,” said Brianna Goodwin, executive head of Robeson County Church and Community Center, which operates nan county’s largest nutrient pantry that serves astatine slightest 600 households a week. 

Almost a 3rd of Robeson County’s 116,000 residents trust connected SNAP funding, nan largest percent of SNAP recipients successful immoderate region successful nan state.

In Forsyth County much than 56,000 residents (14 percent) trust connected SNAP. At The Shalom Project, 1 of Winston-Salem’s longest-operating nutrient pantries, Jeffrey Foster, programme head and head of nutrient distribution, said they saw 1 of its biggest turnouts successful a decade precocious erstwhile they served adjacent to 150 families successful nan span of 3 hours.  

Jeffrey Foster is programme head managing nutrient distribution astatine The Shalom Project, a nutrient pantry successful Winston-Salem. He’s worked location for 10 years and said past week he saw immoderate of nan highest need. Credit: Rachel Crumpler / NC Health News

‘A gaping hole’

Jason Kanawati Stephany, vice president of communications and nationalist argumentation astatine nan Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, said SNAP is nan nation’s “first statement of defense against hunger” because it “puts money straight into families’ pockets to bargain food.” 

Research shows that SNAP increases nutrient security, improves wellness outcomes, reduces poorness and decreases wellness attraction costs.

Stephany knows this well. He grew up successful a food-insecure family and utilized nutrient stamps — nan precursor to SNAP — to provender himself arsenic a assemblage student. Now he spends his days working for an statement that supports much than 500,000 nutrient insecure participants crossed a 34-county region of nan state.

Food banks and pantries for illustration The Shalom Project are moving to standard up — but there’s a limit to what they tin do. The reality is that contempt champion efforts, location will still beryllium a “gaping hole” successful resources, according to Monique Farrell, executive head of The Shalom Project.

That’s because for each 1 repast a nutrient slope provides, SNAP provides nine, according to information from Feeding America, a nationwide web of nutrient banks, pantries and feeding programs. 

Farrell said nutrient pantries are intended to beryllium nan information nett underneath SNAP, not to switch it. As it already stands, Farrell said galore families supplement their nutrient needs astatine a nutrient pantry, arsenic SNAP costs do not past nan full month, particularly amid rising market prices.

Volunteers astatine Foothills Food Hub hole nutrient distribution for residents who are nutrient insecure successful nan county. Credit: Courtesy of Foothills Food Hub

“Trying to standard to 10 times is evidently unreasonable for immoderate operation,” added Goodwin, executive head of Robeson County’s largest nutrient pantry.

Goodwin utilized national nutrient assistance arsenic a kid increasing up successful Robeson County, calling it nan “tie that kept america afloat” arsenic her parents hustled betwixt jobs to make ends meet, enduring layoffs from a nonaccomplishment of manufacturing jobs successful nan county.

“Where would I beryllium if we hadn’t had that thread to clasp that full communicative together?” she wondered.

The accrued request astatine nutrient banks comes arsenic they are already reeling from federal cuts to nan USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which allowed nutrient banks to bargain straight from section farms, ranchers and producers.

“Over nan past 9 months, we person mislaid millions of dollars successful national backing to acquisition food,” Stephany said. “The resources that we usage to meet nan rising request person been trim astatine a clip erstwhile that request is expanding significantly.”

Families consciousness nan impact

Some families are already hurting. 

Daysi Hurtado, a young female successful Raleigh who precocious learned she was pregnant, said she can’t moreover process nan thought of losing benefits. In nan past, erstwhile she faced nutrient insecurity, she’d get by skipping immoderate meals. But not correct now.

“I person a increasing babe to deliberation of,” Hurtado said. “I request to make judge that I’m eating each nan clip — and nan nutrient can’t beryllium accelerated food, it needs to beryllium good, patient food.”

On Saturday — nan first time of interrupted SNAP benefits — 20-year-old Lynn, who asked that NC Health News only usage her first name, visited nan Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, which gave retired $80 to each SNAP customer to thief them while nan national nutrient benefits are connected hold. That thief came conscionable successful time. She said she only had immoderate noodles and a loaf of breadstuff successful nan fridge that she wasn’t judge was still edible.

Lynn, a Greensboro resident, said she has conscionable started training for a caller job, which only paid capable to screen her rent. She utilized nan $80 to capable up her cart pinch caller vegetables, beverage and a fewer pastry treats.

Others, for illustration Bollinger, nan McDowell County mom, are contemplating ways to get other income for a while, specified arsenic starting to present for DoorDash. But that’s easier said than done for many. 

Bollinger already useful 40 hours a week, and adding to that would mean much clip distant from her children and put much deterioration and tear connected her car. She doesn’t person anyone adjacent who could watch her kids, meaning she would person to return them pinch her connected transportation routes.

For now, Bollinger won’t spell that route. She hopes nan SNAP costs will resume sooner alternatively than later arsenic she useful meticulously to agelong each dollar — successful a fund that is already stripped down to essentials.

Lynn, too, said she was disappointment by nan delay, saying nan authorities has a “priority problem.”

“When they needed to salary nan subject people, they recovered a measurement to do it,” she said. “But erstwhile it came to helping pinch nan [food] benefits, they were like, there’s thing we tin do astir it.”

Boxes of nutrient donations hold to beryllium loaded into cars to beryllium delivered to a section Freedom Fridge and pantry successful Greensboro. Organizer Tami Clayton pinch Indivisible Guilford said she was amazed by nan turnout and really overmuch group donated — capable to capable respective cars — astatine nan arena connected Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. Credit: Jennifer Fernandez / NC Health News

‘Impossible choices’

Rachel Keever, president and CEO of nan Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation, helps negociate nan state’s 2-1-1 program, a telephone number that tin link group to resources, including nutrient assistance. She said that her statement has launched a streamlined website that directs group to resources nearby. 

“People are already short of dollars,” Keever said.  

The timing of erstwhile SNAP benefits are paid retired to recipients is staggered complete nan people of nan month. Some group person their EBT recharge earlier successful nan month, while others get nan boost later. 

For immoderate low-income families, there’s still immoderate time. But not much. 

“There are women who virtually person already been retired of nutrient stamps for 10, 15, 20 days, depending connected really overmuch they have,” said Amy Smith, executive head of nan Women’s Center of Wake County.

Because truthful galore of these families unrecorded connected nan edge, moreover a short hold — arsenic nan Trump management makes its moves — could wounded them. 

“Families who were already struggling will look intolerable choices betwixt paying for food, rent, medicine aliases state to get to work,” said Audrey Moore, media and trading coordinator astatine McDowell Local Food Advisory Council. 

“The reality looks for illustration quiet cupboards, accrued accent and wellness impacts that ripple done families, particularly children, moving parents, seniors. The nonaccomplishment of SNAP could really push galore complete nan separator into a existent crisis,” Moore said. “People suffer nan due expertise to attraction astatine activity aliases schoolhouse if they’re not afloat nourished. Chronic wellness conditions tin worsen. New conditions tin arise. We’re concerned astir delayed benefits impacting some contiguous wellness and semipermanent wellness conditions.”

Even erstwhile those costs commencement to travel again, immoderate SNAP recipients will look caller barriers. Starting this month, much group will beryllium required to show they’re moving to proceed qualifying for benefits. 

“Experiencing inconsistent entree to nutrient is 1 of nan worst feelings ever because nutrient is specified a basal need,” said Ashley Tee, executive head of organization wellness astatine nan YMCA of Western North Carolina, which serves Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood, McDowell and Madison counties. “There is truthful overmuch that stems astir being capable to entree nutrient and what it does for your humanity and your dignity.”

NC Health News reporters Jaymie Baxley, Jennifer Fernandez, Ashley Fredde and Taylor Knopf contributed reporting.

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