Maryland food pantries already at the brink gear up for more amid SNAP funding battle
Food pantries and organizations in Maryland are gearing up for increased need as the future of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding is uncertain.
WJZ visited two organizations Friday to see what the current need for help is like firsthand.
In Maryland, around 680,000 people rely on SNAP benefits. The Maryland Food Bank said one in three people in the state is food insecure.
Food pantries see growing demand
Every time Paul's Place serves lunch, between 100 and 130 people come in.
"Most of our guests here at Paul's Place have said in the past year that they haven't eaten for a whole day, because of not having enough money for food," said Danielle Lew, Director of case management. "That's with all of these resources out there."
The community center is bracing to help even more, with the future of SNAP funding up in the air as the government shutdown lingers on.
On Friday, two federal judges ordered the Trump administration to use contingency funds to make payments for the program during the ongoing government shutdown.
However, it's unclear if payments to the program will be made before Saturday, Nov 1.
Lew said it's been hard to see more and more people needing their help.
"Community members I've met and grown to love these past five years, saying, 'I need help,' and me not knowing how to help them — that's hard," she said.
Baltimore Relief Network is also bracing for impact. The organization has also been getting more and more people interested in its service.
Twice a week, the nonprofit operates a food pantry on Eastern Avenue in Fells Point. Each time, 200 to 300 families and households get in line for food.
Kristel Turansky, Baltimore Relief Network's executive director, described an email she recently received from a family asking about help.
"It's a family that's trying to survive on $2 a day, a woman and her husband, he's disabled," Turansky said. "How do you even do that?"
Helping out
Local Homestead Products in Carroll County is giving out free bundles of produce to those impacted by the shutdown, or who use SNAP benefits.
Owner Trevor Hoff said other businesses have been donating to his business to provide more of these bundles.
"We want to do this for the community, and the community has stood up and said we're going to do this. So, we're happy to do this," he said.
Baltimore Relief Network and Paul's Place are hoping for extra help in donations and volunteers to meet the need as the shutdown continues.
If you want to support Paul's Place, you can find out more on their website here.
You can learn more about Baltimore Relief Network here, as well as Local Homestead Products here.
You can also donate to the Maryland Food Bank. The food bank also has a Find Food tool to help you find a nearby pantry.