By: Wisdom Harlan
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – As of Nov. 6, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly known as food stamps, have been paused for five days. Millions of Americans who rely on the program have gone without aid for almost a week, pushing food pantries and nonprofits nationwide to step up support.
Life Source Food Pantry in Fayetteville, Arkansas, typically serves between 1,500 and 1,600 families each month. Executive Director Jimmie Conduff said that number could rise by 30 percent this month, an increase of about 300 families.
The federal government is now in its 37th day of a shutdown caused by partisan gridlock over budget bills. According to ABC News, the U.S. Department of Agriculture no longer has the funds to fully support SNAP and can only cover about 65 percent of the program’s costs. As a result, state and local organizations are filling the gap.
At Life Source, volunteers are packing cereal, bread, meats and canned goods into carts and delivery trucks to reach families in need. Conduff said the pantry offers “more than just food,” adding, “The bottom line is, what can we agree on to help our neighbors?”
With the holidays approaching, Life Source hopes community members will continue to donate food and volunteer. Conduff said the pantry also receives support from the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, which helps them meet growing needs.
He encourages people to donate dry goods such as rice and pasta. “One bag of rice can make about two to three days of meals,” Conduff said.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Oct. 31 that her administration will provide $500,000 to food pantries across the state. “What Senate Democrats are doing is unconscionable, playing political games with the food assistance that nearly a quarter million Arkansans rely on,” Sanders said in a statement. “The simplest, fastest solution remains for Democrats to reopen the government and fund programs like SNAP, but in the meantime, my administration will work with legislators, churches and food banks to help feed Arkansans.”
Life Source has not yet received those funds and is unsure when they will arrive.
Conduff said the best way to help right now is by donating food and volunteering time.