Local food pantries survived the SNAP-less shutdown

When the government shutdown forced many nationally funded programs to halt their efforts for several weeks, one of those programs that saw its funds completely stopped was Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, a national program that provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the food essential to health and well-being.

When that happened, local food banks prepared for the storm they knew was coming as more local families would be seeking their services for supplemental food.

The loss of SNAP funding meant hardships for many families who quickly turned to Ohio’s food banks and food pantries for support.

According to statewide statistics, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank distributed a record 320,000 pounds of food in one day during the shutdown, which is nearly three times its daily average. The Akron-Canton Food Bank, which area food pantries rely on heavily, also was pushed to its limits during the loss of SNAP.

Fortunately, SNAP dollars have returned with the government shutdown now over, and just as importantly, during that span when the shutdown was in place, families, churches and businesses came through by helping to supply the food pantries with food.

During the final weeks of the shutdown, Edgar Raber, director of the Love Center Food Pantry in Millersburg, said things were hectic but returning to normal even before the shutdown ended.

“Early on everyone kind of panicked, but it got crazy in the beginning, but toward the end, it wasn’t too much of a burden,” Raber said. “When it first began, we were seeing around 40-50 more families than usual coming through per week.”

He said they knew what was coming, and Holmes County Job & Family Services had worked closely with them to prepare for the increase in families.

Raber said the advanced warning by JFS and preparation ahead of time helped them fully stock the pantry for what was to come.

He said there were weeks when the Akron-Canton Food Bank was struggling to meet demands, and in preparation for Thanksgiving week, which is annually one of the biggest in the county for food pantries, the Love Center doubled up its efforts to restock early because they knew the Akron-Canton Food Bank would be facing shortages.

“They’ve done an amazing job up there with everything they were facing,” Raber said. “It’s good to see things getting back to normal."

The Love Center was able to stay ahead of the game by receiving food when it became available and storing it in a large warehouse and coolers many pantries don’t have the luxury of possessing.

That would have been the case for the Food Pantry at the Millersburg Church of God near West Holmes High School, where limited storage space meant it couldn’t stockpile goods as readily as the Love Center.

On Friday, Oct. 31, prior to the shutdown ceasing, Director Dave Masters said they were wildly busy, with cars lining up to the point where traffic was backed up onto state Route 39.

He said they served 256 families that week, followed by 225 Friday, Nov. 7.

“It got to the point where it was becoming dangerous,” Masters said. “We were three lines across from our serving point, all the way to the highway, and I finally told our guys to start putting vehicles off to the side of the road in the yard to avoid any accidents, so we didn’t impede the flow of traffic.”

Masters said they factor in each vehicle as a family of four, so they figured they served more than 1,000 people during those two Fridays alone. He said it was close to 20,000 pounds of groceries each day.

Masters said they saw about a 75-family increase during the shutdown, and it was a struggle to see so many families in need.

“It was painful to see the need these families were facing,” Masters said.

Masters said the biggest need the pantry is facing in recovering from the additional onslaught is in the meat department. He said they had many requests for meat, but he continued to have to tell people it was one product they simply didn’t have on hand.

“When I spoke to the girls up at the (Akron-Canton Food Bank), I told them I need meat,” Masters said. “They told me they just didn’t have any, and they couldn’t give me what they don’t have.”

He said the Akron-Canton Food Bank was anticipating having volunteers coming to help, but the shutdown forced the system to a crawl.

Thus, Masters began seeking the aid of local grocers and meat producers for anything they could afford to supply.

“The one thing we must keep in mind is that we as a food pantry are a supplement, not a supplier,” Masters said.

He said one fortunate aspect of the shutdown has been the commitment of area stores and churches that either collected or donated food during the shutdown.

He said God has continually met the needs for those who seek food, and like the other area pantries, there is a true heart for reaching out and serving those in need.

If anyone would like to help restock shelves by either volunteering or providing food or funds that can purchase food for pennies on the dollar, they may contact any of the area food banks including the Glenmont Food Pantry.