How the community is showing up for people losing SNAP benefits 

Local businesses in Seattle and Tacoma have responded to the SNAP funding freeze by providing free meals to those impacted.

By Michaela Ely

As the government shutdown continues, recipients of SNAP benefits faced a lot of uncertainty as to whether or not they would receive their benefits on Nov. 1. 

As of Nov. 3, the federal government has released some funding for SNAP recipients after a court order by a federal judge on Nov. 1, but the plan was to only send out partial payments. It was unclear when recipients would see these funds reach their accounts. 

On Nov. 6, the same federal judge ordered the administration to fund SNAP benefits in full for the month of November. The partial SNAP payments were delayed by the complex rules set by the administration and would have set the payments back by weeks. Some families were set to receive no benefits due to the way states were meant to calculate SNAP payments for families. However, the latest court order forces the administration’s hand to provide full SNAP benefits. 

Due to this freeze in benefits, several local businesses in Tacoma and Washington as a whole have stepped up to provide free meals to families and individuals impacted by the loss of benefits. 

Howdy Bagel posted to Instagram Oct. 31 stating that they would provide bagels to families and individuals in need, no proof required. Lune Cafe posted something similar, stating that they would provide coffee and a pastry to those needing extra support. 

Some local businesses have also started food drives, such as Shelf Indulgence, a romance bookstore on 6th Ave, and Black Bird Apothecary on South Tacoma Way. 

A coffee shop in Portland, OR went viral for sharing that they would provide free meals to those losing SNAP benefits and have since received over $300,000 in donations with over 11,000 peopledonating. But should these businesses have to take the brunt of feeding low-income individuals and families while the government is shut down

Watching communities across the country come together to support each other has been incredibly encouraging to see, especially as our country is so politically divisive. 

However, it is the federal government’s responsibility to make sure that the inhabitants of this country are not going to suffer from malnutrition or starvation. SNAP was created as a permanent policy in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson as part of his War on Poverty platform, but it has evolved several times since then in terms of eligibility for families and individuals. 

As of 2023, 39% of SNAP recipients were children according to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). As of May, over 905,000 Washington residents have received benefits from SNAP according to federal data. Because of this, as SNAP benefits came into question, Governor Bob Ferguson released $2.2 million to be distributed per week to local food banks starting Nov. 3. 

President Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans have attacked SNAP several times since taking office in January. Released in February, a memo from Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, encouraged Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) staff to end incentives in FNS programs that may “encourage illegal immigration.” Programs like SNAP require U.S. citizenship for eligibility, so it is hard to understand what programs are being referenced. 

Part of the reason that the government shutdown has continued is the refusal to pass a budget reconciliation bill that would result in more expensive healthcare and further cuts for programs like Medicaid. Democrats in the Senate have refused to pass this new budget bill as it does not renew the expiring healthcare subsidies; they are aiming to reverse previous cuts to Medicaid. 

While it is important for the Democrats to use the bargaining power they do have from the shutdown, it is coming at the expense of millions of Americans and federal government employees. 

There are provisions for releasing funds for programs like SNAP and providing pay to federal employees, but the current administration is largely uninterested in doing either. Towards the beginning of the shutdown, President Trump stated that it is possible that not all federal workers would receive backpay from the government shutdown, even though this is something he signed into law in 2019. 

“SNAP BENEFITS… will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before,” President Trump said in a Truth Social post on Nov. 4. 

This is in defiance of the federal court order from Nov. 1. 

His press secretary later stated that the administration would comply with the court order, but the whiplash is causing serious anxiety among SNAP recipients. 

As someone who has received SNAP benefits in the past, watching how programs like this are under attack is especially horrifying. Programs like SNAP and food banks helped my family immensely. However, it is heartening to see how the community and state government is showing up to support those struggling with food insecurity. 

For UWT students experiencing food insecurity, there are resources on campus such as The Pantry in William Philip Hall (WPH 010) which is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Nourish Food Bank Truck is also on campus on Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Pinkerton lot.