SANDUSKY, Ohio — Thousands of people who depend on SNAP benefits for food may not be able to go to the grocery store next month. And some people have already begun turning to food pantries for help, like 83-year-old Carol Babcock, who plans to make a few more trips than usual to different food pantries in Sandusky over the next few weeks.
"It’s bad for everybody that depends on it, especially those with kids,” said Babcock.
Babcock is one of millions who will go out without their benefits come Nov. 1 because of the Government shutdown. SNAP benefits can be a lifeline for families struggling to make ends meet. In Ohio, people receive an average of $170 per month.
"The holidays are coming up, and people are going to have to suffer for it,” said Babcock.
Local food banks and pantries are bracing for higher demand. Care & Share of Erie County provides food, clothing and housewares to people and families in need of extra assistance. Executive Director Anita Kromer says the pantry has already seen a jump in the numbers.
"We're already seeing a little bit of an increase; I have already felt the anxiety picking up in people,” said Kromer.
Kromer says keeping up with the demand of people has already been hard.
"We're concerned, and the challenge is that we work on grants and donations. We only have so much money that we are going to be able to spend to keep the food coming through,” said Kromer.
The non-profit has been making cuts elsewhere.
"We’re going to cut back a bit on providing hygiene items so we can make sure that we can purchase more food that way. We have worked with our supplier so that we can purchase in pallet form, versus just a few cases a week. So, that's about all we can do; we're limited by how much we can do based on money,” said Kromer.
Food banks and pantries were already struggling this year because of federal cuts, and Kromer says she is concerned food pantries won't be able to meet the sudden demand.
"It’s not realistic in telling someone that in two months you're going to have to up your capacity by five times. That just isn't realistic for food pantries, and as much as we may want to, we run on all volunteers. So, we need to have volunteers to be able to help, let alone the actual resources of food,” said Kromer.
But the pantry will do as much as it can, while hoping lawmakers will soon step in.
You must be a resident of Erie County to receive help from Care & Share. Its free pantry is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., and from 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. It is also open Tuesday evenings from 5 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
