STEVENSVILLE — With the federal government shutdown now in its fourth week, the pain is becoming real for many across the nation.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says food assistance program known as SNAP will be cut off for the month of November.
"SNAP is our nation's most effective and efficient tool to combat hunger," Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) Advocacy Specialist Kiera Condon said.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program helps those on low or fixed incomes to fill their fridges.
More than 40 million Americans rely on the program, including around 80,000 Montanans.
"For every meal a food pantry provides, SNAP delivers 9," Condon stated.
According to the USDA, because of the government shutdown no benefits will be issued on Nov. 1.
"We're not going to be able to fill the gap left by SNAP," Condon said.
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While trying to prevent people from going hungry, the Montana Food Bank Network is concerned about the impact on Montana as a whole.
"It's about $14 million a month," Condon said. "So, if you're thinking about grocers, retailers, truck drivers, our state economy as a whole is really going to be harmfully impacted," she continued.
Condon hoped that contingency funds could be used to issue benefits, however, the USDA said "the well has run dry" for SNAP.
To prepare for an influx of food bank users, MFBN has been connecting with their 330 partners across the state.
"Our child nutrition department's been getting calls all day from school pantries as they're expecting to see an increase in need," Condon detailed.
In Stevensville, the food pantry has seen an increase in people using their services over the past six months. That's why they're extremely concerned about the threat to SNAP benefits.
"New customers are coming in, and lately we've been seeing a heavier increase in that," Pantry Partners Food Bank volunteer Steve Watters told MTN.
"What we're seeing as well is clients that haven't utilized us for months and months or maybe since last year, they're starting to repeat and show up more," he added.
To get ahead, volunteers at Pantry Partners Food Bank are stocking shelves.
"We're getting a 500 pound nonperishable donation from the Elks," Watters noted.
Open Mondays and Wednesdays, without SNAP, they're expecting this November to be busy.
"Everything hits people of need harder than anybody else, and every little bit helps," Watters said.
Pantry Partners is looking for more teammates as well as donations, both financially and non-perishable goods.
To volunteer, call manager Dawn Richard at 406-360-4637.
MFBN says to still apply for SNAP if you're experiencing food insecurity.
"If you do have leftover SNAP benefits on your EBT card, you can use those in November," Condon said.
