Local support agencies must deal with emergency food assistance program ending
LANCASTER − The additional emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program assistance allotment from the COVID-19 era ends after this month.
That means those who receive SNAP benefits will only get their usual benefit allotment at the beginning of each month and not the additional allotment at month's end they have been getting since March 2020.
Fairfield County Job and Family Services Director Corey Clark said the federal emergency program was always meant to be temporary. But the federal government has kept extending it for the past three years on quarterly basis.
Clark said in November the extra allotment was worth about $1.4 million for 11,739 people. Those are the most recent available figures.
"When you receive something temporarily for three years you would expect that most people would become accustomed to receiving that amount," Clark said. "So it's going to be a shock to the budget."
Clark said the results of the emergency allotment ending will be different for different people. He also said people cannot appeal the decision to end the emergency program.
"We're certainly going to be referring people to other resources that might be available," he said. "Food pantries and things like that if they need additional food assistance."
The issue is causing concern among local support agencies like the United Way of Fairfield County and others. The United Way gives financial support to some local food banks.
"From a United Way standpoint, we are just working really closely with the pantries that we provide support for, as well as all our agencies," United Way CEO Carrie Woody said. "We're keeping a close eye on things and working with our agencies so that if something comes up we can work together to solve the problems."
Woody said the loss of the second allotment may cause other issues for people like paying their utility bills.
The Fairfield County Community Action Agency runs the Choice Food Pantry. CAA Executive Director Clinton Davis said he expects to see a lot more need at the pantry starting next month.
"The emergency food stamps have been really carrying people through the pandemic," he said. "I think it's given families a lot more space to deal with the insecurity of employment, child care and increased rent costs and everything that they've experienced the last several years of crisis."
Therefore, Davis said there are going to be a lot people coming to the pantry needing food.
"We know that because SNAP never quite gets anyone through the month with normal levels," he said. "That's always been the thing. Food pantries help with the third and fourth weeks of the month. That's an important role of food pantries.
"We're going to see more impact to the agency, too, in our rent and utility programs. Because folks that have just been making ends meet are going to lose that $100, $200 worth of food stamps and are going to have a difficult time getting all their other expenses together, too, I think."
Davis said during the pandemic the food pantry started giving pre-packed food packages by appointment, which allow it to give more food to people. He said that practice will continue and that it allows for better tracking of the food it gives out.
Other than some supply problems last summer, Davis said the CAA food pantry has been able to keep up with food demand so far.
"But between the food we get from the Mid-Ohio Food Collective food bank in Columbus and some food that we buy locally from grocery providers, we're doing OK," he said. "We get good support from the United Way. We get good support from local donations and we have funding that comes out of our community services block grant."
Visit www.fcjfs.org for more information on food assistance issues.
jbarron@gannett.com
740-681-4340
Twitter: @JeffDBarron
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Local agencies must deal with emergency food assistance program ending
