A couple of days ago, I breathlessly discussed the possibility of people on SNAP (food stamps) having to go without their November benefits. As of a couple of days ago, a banner on New York state’s SNAP website stated that November’s benefits might be delayed. Might and delayed are the key words here. What I’m reading is that benefits could possibly not be there on November 1st, but could be there later on in the month.
Of course, if the government shutdown is resolved tomorrow or Tuesday, then individual states can still transmit electronic files to their SNAP vendors and benefits could still happen at their normal time. But if not, people could wake up on the 1st to absolutely no new benefits. Whatever they had on the last day of October would be it.
As of right now, however, it looks as if the shutdown will go on for maybe quite a while, meaning that families will start to go hungry sooner rather than later. So where are they going to turn? Food pantries, mostly run by churches, will be their only source of food in some cases. This means that food banks will potentially run out of supplies probably on the 1st, and many people will be turned away.
Look at any church on food distribution days, and even while the federal government is operational, the lines are longer than those teenage girls waiting to get into a Taylor Swift concert. Imagine that and multiply that by, say, ten, and that’s what’s likely going to happen if people go without their benefits. Sure, the food network here in Albany might last for up to three days, but without generous donations, it’s all over.
A lot of churches in Albany are members of a food bank network. Your residency dictates what church you go to to collect your food. I happen to volunteer occasionally doing data entry for the network and although I can’t say much about what goes on behind the scenes, I can tell you that the need will be dire and the network will be stretched to its very limits and beyond.
Ideally, food and financial donors in the Albany area will contribute as much money and food as they can since the first of the month is rapidly approaching with no realistic end to the shutdown in sight. SNAP recipients might as well prepare for life without food benefits, at least for the month of November. Basically, kiss those benefits goodbye, because they might never be seen.
Whether benefits show up depends on when the shutdown ends and then on when the states get their money so that they can transmit their files. It could very well be that those who get their benefits on the first few days of November will find themselves out of luck while those who collect their benefits later in the month might be in luck.
And speaking of, will there be retroactive payments? In other words, if someone receives their benefits on the first and the shutdown resolves itself on the third, will those people get their November benefits late or will they actually be out of luck? That remains to be seen in New York state, but Pennsylvania has already thrown in the towel: as of right now, no November benefits are forthcoming.
There doesn’t seem to be a reliable source for reliable information, so I repeat my claim that people should just consider November benefits gone, and if they do show up late, then that’s just a bonus, not an expectation. If you’re on SNAP, you probably can’t afford to read this page, so why am I talking to you? After all, if you can afford internet access, you can afford food.
This will all be moot if the shutdown ends tomorrow because if it does, there will be around ten days for the system to do its job: the USDA will send the money to the states and each state, which runs their own systems, will transmit funds to their vendors who in turn will be prepared to make benefits available on their normal arrival date.
I can tell you that even with the federal government working, there is a great need for food and monetary donations to feed those in need here in Albany. If this stretches into November, the food bank will find itself in crisis and unfortunately, some unlucky people could go hungry. Or, there will be an increase in crime as the hungry will resort to shoplifting to feed themselves and their families.
Of course, hunger is not justification for stealing, so hopefully, those who do steal will find themselves in jail. I know that if I were a retail manager, I would absolutely press charges on anyone and everyone who stole from my store, hunger and age be damned. I am not known for my mercy or forgiveness.
Now, the ideal situation is for the SNAP program to be eliminated altogether, forcing recipients to get jobs. That’s ideal, but for now, their laziness will continue to be rewarded, which is sad. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but I for one am optimistic that the shutdown will resolve itself by Wednesday, leaving more than enough time for the SNAP network to trickle down to the recipients’ cards.
Things are becoming bad in some states. Many states have temporarily stopped accepting applications and that will continue until the federal government releases funding to states. So what are those people doing for food? To be quite honest, I don’t care.
It remains to be seen whether or not the food bank network here in Albany will be able to handle the massive increase of needy people standing in lines outside of churches and wherever else food is distributed. I personally have no first-hand knowledge of how they’re preparing for that. All I do is data entry, after all. My prediction is that the network will fall to its knees by the third and, as I’ve said, a lot of hungry people will be turned away.
Do you know what the solution is? Maybe, just maybe, these people can get jobs this week and, you know, fend for themselves and their families.
And no, I do not have a single problem with seeing people starve, even the children. Get jobs, people!