Scared for Survival: SNAP Recipients Face Benefit Loss During Shutdown
As the federal government continues its second month of shutdown, millions of low-income Americans, including thousands in Illinois, are now facing the loss of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This situation is creating a growing sense of uncertainty and fear among those who rely on this critical support to put food on the table. Food pantry lines are getting longer by the day, and the impact is being felt deeply in communities across the country.
For individuals like Lisa Weaving of Springfield, the loss of food aid is more than just a political issue—it’s a real crisis that affects her daily life. As a cancer survivor in remission, Weaving is still unable to return to work due to medical restrictions and is currently on disability. “It’s scary because I’m a cancer survivor. I’m in remission. My doctor has not released me to go back to work yet, so I’m on disability, and I really need the extra for food, because by the time I pay all the bills, there’s really nothing left,” she said.
Weaving lives in an apartment building that houses veterans, seniors, and others on disability. She described the current situation as one of complete uncertainty. “The entire building right now is in an uproar because they don’t know where they’re going to get their food from. We have the bread line across the street, but that’s only one meal a day.”
She explained that many neighbors are turning to multiple pantries to make ends meet. “We have a pantry that’s open on Wednesdays from 12:30 to 3, and it’s once a month. You can get about ten items per person. If you have kids, more. So it’s really a help for many, but their food doesn’t last an entire month. So you’re hopping from pantry to pantry.”
At Washington Street Mission in Springfield, director Jarid Brown reported a sharp increase in demand since SNAP benefits were frozen. “Yesterday I got a call from one of our churches who has a large food pantry, and they had twice the number of people there that night and actually cleaned everything out. If we double that number, it’s only going to last a few weeks. If we see triple that number come in, we’ll be cleaned out within a couple of weeks.”
Brown emphasized the growing challenges faced by those living in poverty. “If you’re living in poverty, if you are in that lowest income, it’s hard enough to climb out of poverty as it is. But now you add in rising food prices and you add in rising utility prices. It makes it nearly impossible for anyone to get out of that hole.”
“This is the first time it’s actually going to hit hard,” Weaving said. “And to think there are 42 million, they’re saying, that are going to be hungry in a place like Springfield. We do worry that the crime rate might go up because of this.”
She also pointed out that while some may abuse the system, there are many who truly need assistance. “There are able bodies that may be abusing the system, but there are so many that need this,” Weaving said.
Brown highlighted the greatest impact of the shutdown: the pause in SNAP benefits. “The greatest impact that we’ve had with the budget shutdown is going to be the SNAP benefits being frozen off,” he said. “My hope is that for a minute we can set politics aside and think about what it’s going to take to reopen government and then address the issues that we’re separated on later. But holding individuals who need food assistance hostage for 1 or 2 issues, we’re holding service personnel hostage for over 1 or 2 issues, that’s not acceptable.”
Brown urged people to support local efforts to help those in need. “If people want to help, they should start locally – donating food or money directly to community organizations already serving those in need.”
Illinois, along with other states, has taken legal action against the federal government to ensure the continuation of SNAP payments during the shutdown. The state argues that its programs alone cannot fill the gap created by the loss of federal assistance.
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