As the calendar flipped to November 1, 2025, millions of Americans awoke to an unprecedented crisis: the suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, a lifeline for over 42 million low-income individuals and families nationwide. The abrupt cutoff, triggered by a protracted federal government shutdown that began on October 1, has sent shockwaves through communities from Arkansas and Mississippi to Washington State, leaving state officials, food banks, and families scrambling for solutions.
In Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the distribution of $500,000 among six regional food bank networks to help mitigate the fallout. The funds, released with emergency approval from the Arkansas Legislative Council, will be split equally among the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank at Springdale, Food Bank of North Central Arkansas at Norfolk, Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas at Jonesboro, River Valley Regional Food Bank at Fort Smith, Arkansas Foodbank at Little Rock, and Harvest Regional Food Bank at Texarkana. Yet, as Sanders herself acknowledged, these resources are a drop in the bucket compared to the more than $41 million in SNAP benefits the state distributed in May alone.
"It’s definitely a great starting point," said Kate Jenkins, director of marketing and communications for Arkansas Foodbank, expressing gratitude for the roughly $83,000 her organization will receive. But Jenkins warned that the looming SNAP cutoff is already having real effects, noting a 10% to 20% increase in first-time visitors to food banks in their 33-county service area in the week leading up to the deadline. "We are conservatively estimating that there will be an increase of 100,000 people on top of the 300,000 we’re currently serving" due to the SNAP payments not going out, Jenkins explained. "There’s just no way that we can hold the line as the charitable food system."
Governor Sanders, a frequent advocate for addressing childhood food insecurity, placed the blame for the shutdown squarely on Senate Democrats, stating, "What Senate Democrats are doing is unconscionable, playing political games with the food assistance that nearly a quarter million Arkansans rely on." She pledged to consider additional weekly allocations from Arkansas’s restricted reserve funds if the shutdown drags on.
Meanwhile, in Jackson, Mississippi, Mayor John Horhn unveiled a citywide initiative to support the 33,000 Hinds County residents suddenly losing food assistance—amounting to about $6.5 million in monthly aid, or roughly $180 per household, vanishing from the local economy. The city redirected $150,000 from its budget to bolster meal programs and partnered with organizations like Stewpot Community Services, the National Folk Festival, Jackson Public Schools, and the Juanita Sims Doty Foundation. Donation bins for money and nonperishable food items have been placed at fire stations and will be available during the upcoming National Folk Festival in Downtown Jackson, set for November 7-9.
"Today I’m speaking to you not just as the mayor of Jackson, but as your neighbor," Horhn said, urging all churches, businesses, and residents to contribute what they can. Horhn and his wife personally donated $1,000 to the cause. The city’s plan also includes expanding Jackson Public Schools’ Supper Meal Provisions program, allowing parents to purchase evening meals for $4 to eat alongside their children. "Many of our scholars take advantage of that," said Errick Greene, superintendent of Jackson Public Schools, emphasizing the vital role of school meals as the SNAP cutoff takes effect.
Stewpot Community Services, another key partner, is preparing to expand its food pantry and lunch service hours, readying for a surge in demand. "Let’s fill those bins and help our fellow citizens out," Horhn encouraged, while Jill Buckley, Stewpot’s executive director, called on residents to donate and volunteer. The Community Foundation of Mississippi and the Mississippi Food Network are also working alongside the city to distribute food and accept donations.
While local leaders rallied to provide emergency relief, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves took a different tack, proposing SNAP rule changes to ban sugary drinks and processed foods while permitting hot prepared chicken purchases. Reeves framed the proposal as a push for healthier choices but, to date, has not announced any direct aid for those losing benefits. Mississippi’s reliance on SNAP already exceeds the national average, with about 13.1% of residents—roughly 384,800 people—receiving monthly benefits in fiscal year 2024, according to USAFacts. Yet, the state ranks 40th nationally in reaching eligible beneficiaries, highlighting long-standing gaps in program access.
In Washington State, the anxiety is palpable among the nearly 930,000 residents who rely on SNAP. Governor Bob Ferguson announced that, starting November 3, the state would direct nearly $2.2 million weekly to food banks, drawing from unused funds for the state Food Assistance Program for Legal Immigrants. These funds will be distributed to 25 local agencies and 16 tribal groups supporting food banks, mobile pantries, and other organizations—an effort to plug the gap as the state loses about $37 million a week in federal food assistance.
Yet, as Angela Griffin, CEO of Byrd Barr Place, observed, the state’s emergency funding is "going to be a drop in the bucket, but it’s something." Food banks across Washington have already seen a 10% uptick in visitors in the days leading up to the cutoff. Many, like FamilyWorks’s Wallingford Food Bank, have witnessed demand surge by nearly 75% since 2020, and expect to serve even more clients as the crisis unfolds.
For individuals like Loma Lopez, an 81-year-old Auburn resident and legal guardian of her 6-year-old great grandson, the loss of even modest SNAP assistance—just $24 a month—has profound consequences. "I’m able to buy his milk, his cheese, usually juice. He loves his fruits," Lopez shared. Now, she faces the prospect of skipping meals herself to ensure her great grandson doesn’t go hungry. "I have no idea how we’re going to go through this," she said. Sharon, a 63-year-old from Federal Way, echoed the sentiment: "To take away our benefits in the middle of the holidays and with the cold weather, it just feels like we’re being targeted."
Food banks and hunger relief organizations are bracing for what some describe as "the perfect storm." Yamila Sterling of Solid Ground warned that the holiday season—already the busiest time of year for hunger relief—could see long lines and rationing as resources are stretched thin. "Too many things are happening, and if the only messaging is to go to food banks, I’m afraid that we are setting people up for chaos and failure," she cautioned.
Legal challenges to the SNAP suspension have emerged as well. On October 31, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration’s decision to halt payments was illegal. One judge gave the administration until November 3 to respond, while another ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue payments. A lawsuit led by Washington and 24 other Democratic-led states may yet force the federal government to use emergency contingency funds, though delays are likely.
As the shutdown grinds on, the resilience of states, cities, and communities is being tested. Local leaders are digging deep, food banks are mobilizing, and millions of families are bracing for an uncertain winter, hoping that relief—federal or otherwise—arrives before hunger does.
