The U.S. is caught in the second-longest government shutdown in the nation’s history, and some sources say it is on track to take the record — previously the 35 days in December 2018 to January 2019. Amidst the shutdown, funding for SNAP benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), otherwise known as food stamps, has run dry. 

Over 40 million Americans rely on SNAP, which is the country’s largest anti-hunger program. Approximately 650,000 Missourians are among that greater number, and more locally, 150,000 of them live in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

As thousands of St. Louis residents were left suddenly bereft of food resources on Nov. 1, local food pantries and nonprofits have been scrambling to make up the difference. It’s a large task, and some leaders say that things look dire if SNAP funding is not restored soon.

“We’re trying to sign up and provide food to as many people as possible, but we’re bursting at the seams right now,” Patrick McKelvey, executive director of Gateway Food Pantry, said. “We can only do this for two or three more weeks before drastic action has to be taken.”

According to McKelvey, Gateway Food Pantry has never turned away anyone who has a photo ID for an emergency food box, nor have they ever had to cut the amount of food they offer to their clients. But it may come to that, he says, if mid-November does not bring a resolution to the government shutdown. He hopes there will be a resolution by Veterans Day.

On Oct. 29, McKelvey said that 50 new families had signed up at Gateway in the week prior, which “has not happened in a very long time.”

“Our food pantry was already experiencing challenges,” McKelvey said. “We can talk about the tornado that hit our area. Boeing has been on strike for several months now. This shutdown impacts workers who are furloughed or working without pay. Our food pantry already had a lot going on, and losing SNAP benefits has really taken this food crisis to the next level.”

Gateway has already quadrupled its food purchasing budget in back-to-back years to meet rising local demand. Demand has reportedly doubled from where it was two years ago, and it may triple that amount if the shutdown continues. McKelvey anticipates the organization will have to quadruple its purchasing budget again next year. He says the food bank spent the last $10,000-15,000 of that budget to “proof its food supply” for the government shutdown.

“If you spread $15,000 out among 350 to 400 families — it’s hard math to do, but we don’t have much longer,” McKelvey said. “We’re going to have to really deficit spend and go way over budget, or we’re going to have to make drastic changes.”

Operation Food Search, a hunger relief nonprofit with 330 community partners in Missouri and Illinois, is also seeing an increased demand — up to 30% in some places — across the board. To combat the growing need for food, Operation Food Search organizers hosted an emergency food drive on Oct. 29 at the St. Louis City Foundry. With the holidays approaching, Chief Operating Officer Carlton Adams says this was only one of many drives in a time of year that already sees a greater call for food donations.

“This is the season of the year where there are a lot of food giveaway events, and so we’re doing those things we would normally do, and even doubling down on that,” Adams said. 

About the Oct. 29 emergency drive, specifically held in order to provide relief for those affected by SNAP benefits, Adams said, “We collected over $80,000 in donations this week, leading up to and during that drive, and 13,000 pounds of food.”

For those who see the need and are looking to help, both McKelvey and Adams encourage locals to donate. Adams added that, through Operation Food Search, people can host their own food drives in their schools, neighborhoods and places of worship; if one makes a cash donation, he encourages them to go to their employer and see if they will match it.

“Our average donation is not over $100,” McKelvey said. “It’s as simple as adding $5 to $10 to your grocery bill every month — getting us extra canned goods, a box of cereal, peanut butter and jelly. If everyone in our community did that, I’m very confident we could eliminate food insecurity in our community.”

In response to the cuts to SNAP, Adams encourages St. Louisans to participate in advocacy by contacting their legislators.

“This is something we shouldn’t tolerate,” Adams said. “We shouldn’t be equivocating about whether people are fed or not. When people are not fed, our communities are not as healthy as they should be, and it hurts all of us — whether we are using SNAP benefits or not.”

Adams adds, “Coming from the base of a super, super generous community like the St. Louis community, which is very philanthropic and very generous — we take our neighborhood and community very seriously here, and we expect our legislators to do the same.”

Governor Mike Kehoe has since announced that the state is transferring millions to alleviate the strain of cuts to SNAP benefits. $10.6 million is going to Missouri Area Agencies on Aging in order to provide food for seniors in the state. $5 million is going to Missouri food banks using Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding.

“While the state of Missouri cannot fully replace federal SNAP benefits for those who rely on them, we are working to expedite additional funding sources to assist Missouri’s senior population and food banks,” Kehoe said in the statement.

While Adams is grateful to the governor for trying to meet this need, he says this money going to food banks is only a tenth of what is received by SNAP recipients in a month. 

“It’s much appreciated, but there’s much more that’s needed,” Adams said. “We’re hoping for relief at the federal level as well as the state level.”

Additional relief may come after all, as federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled on Oct. 31 that the government must use contingency funds to continue the SNAP program. President Donald Trump has said that government lawyers are looking into the legality of using contingency funds, but there have been roadblocks. On Nov. 2, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that SNAP benefits “could” start flowing again by Nov. 5, after The Call’s press time.

“There’s a process that has to be followed. So, we’ve got to figure out what the process is,” Bessent said.