We continue to see a growing group of Northeast Ohio nonprofits and community agencies stepping up to help fill the SNAP gap here at home.
That includes the May Dugan Center on Bridge Avenue on Cleveland’s west side.
This week, the May Dugan Center has increased its food pantry capacity by 80%.
"Instead of serving 550 families, we’re going to serve over 800 today," said Andy Trares, executive director of the May Dugan Center.
They are helping fill the SNAP gap due to the ongoing federal government shutdown with increased distributions on Wednesday and Friday this week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"It's been a pretty big strain for us here at the May Dugan Center, but we’ve had great volunteers and community support that have really stepped in to help us, as well," he said.
Volunteers like Kelly Mohammed, who know the need.
"Yes, because I used to be out here hungry and struggling," she said.
She knows how much it means to have a safe place to turn.
"I just love helping out," she said. "I'm grateful to do it."
Brent White, with Seniors on the Move, was also helping pack food bags full of fruits and vegetables for Wednesday's distribution.
"I see a lot more faces coming through here," said White about the last couple of weeks as concern over the shutdown grew.
As a veteran, White understands service and never leaving anyone behind.
"When we give out food, it’s always important to help the community in every way," he said. "It comes from the heart. It’s what we do. It’s what we care about."
"It's a blessing because it’s right in the neighborhood," said Trish while standing in line.
She is a regular at May Dugan and has noticed more people coming to the twice-weekly food distributions.
"It never used to be this crowded," she said. "But if you need food, come here to May Dugan because they're going to treat you right. Like family. No disrespecting and no judging."
In Cuyahoga County alone, about 190,000 people receive SNAP benefits.
LaVira, who came to the May Dugan Center for the first time on Wednesday, said the help means everything.
"It really does," she said. "If these places weren’t in place, it would be chaos.”
It was Gilda’s first time seeking this kind of help, too.
"This is the first time," she said. "Yes, and I used to volunteer."
Now, she said she's grateful to be on the receiving end and grateful for community and friends.
"We've talked about it, and our plan is to share food," she said, surrounded by a group of girlfriends.
The May Dugan Center has filled an emergency need for food before. During the pandemic, demand increased 200%.
RELATED: May Dugan Center marks 500K meals served since pandemic
And today, they’re still operating well beyond pre-pandemic levels.
In 2019, the May Dugan Center provided 135,000 meals worth of food. Last year, they provided 939,000 meals worth of food. And this year, they’re on track to serve even more, said Trares.
And it's not just the May Dugan Center reporting increased need and higher numbers in recent years.
The Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank publishes its Community Issues Survey twice a year.
It takes a broader look at the economic conditions impacting organizations that serve low-to-moderate-income households in our region.
"Since the pandemic, just a lot of strained household budgets that these organizations are serving," said Matt Klesta, senior policy advisor at the Cleveland Fed.
Klesta said they've been conducting the survey for eight years. The most recent survey was this past September.
"And we found that 80% of respondents said that the financial well-being for the people they serve had declined, had decreased," said Klesta. "And that’s one of the highest we’ve had over the surveys we’ve done. Overwhelmingly, the comments said that it was due to price increases or inflation."
He said that is something they've been seeing for the past several years.
Meantime, the number of organizations reporting financial hardships themselves hit its highest level, of 45%.
"One said they had to tap their reserve for the first time in over 10 years to cover their operating costs," said Klesta.
Comments attributed the decline to decreases in donations and philanthropy, perhaps impacted by increased inflation, he said.
Trares said it sounds familiar to him.
"As our funding decreases over the course of 2025, we’re seeing more people turn to us for support," said Trares. "All of our numbers are up this year for accessing all of our programs and services."
He said it's been a challenging year with changes to regulations and funding for the entire nonprofit sector.
He said last year, the May Dugan Center was 55% federally funded. This year, it's 35%. He said the federal government is renewing fewer contracts.
He said the work is challenging but rewarding, and nonprofits like May Dugan and the thousand-plus partner agencies of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank will continue to serve the most vulnerable. However, he said that it’ll become increasingly difficult if current conditions persist.
"For every one meal that a food pantry provides, SNAP provides nine," said Trares. "So, short-term we can fill that gap and keep food on the table for many people, but it’s going to become increasingly harder to do that as time goes on.”
Trares said the best way you can help is by volunteering, and donations of food or money are always appreciated by your local food pantry or food bank.
