Amid an ongoing federal legal battle over whether to release food stamps for the month of November, nearly 42 million Americans anxiously wait for a decision in hunger.
In Alachua County, 33,655 residents receive food stamps as of 2022. With a population around 291,000, more than one in every 10 people in the county are surviving without food stamps for November, without word on when they’ll get them and without any options except local food banks.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has run out since the government shut down Oct. 1. With a contingency fund of only $5 billion for the USDA, the country cannot afford to keep up with the $8 billion in benefits for November.
A federal judge ruled to issue partial benefits for SNAP at the beginning of the month, then another judge ruled the benefits be paid in full and now the Supreme Court battles with President Donald Trump’s attempt to withhold all SNAP funding for November.
Thus brings the situation today: Whether or not Congress finalizes a deal to end the shutdown, Americans for days have been without the benefits they rely on to eat, and food banks have become the only option for those who can’t survive without SNAP.
Nola and King Dupree are a married couple with three children experiencing the hardships of not knowing where their next meal is coming from. The Salvation Army food bank was their only option on a Friday morning.
“We’ve been going around with a broken windshield because we have to pick whether to get the truck fixed or get the kids fed,” said Nola.
They have a 4-year-old autistic son named Jordan with dietary restrictions that have been hard to accommodate since the cut of SNAP.
“We are adults, we can survive,” said Nola. “Take my food stamps but don’t take them from my kids,” she said.
The couple was quick to turn the blame on President Trump.
Nola said, “how are you building a ballroom but can’t give 50% of food stamps?” Nola and King both detailed how the President is hurting instead of helping Americans. “He’s a bad man,” said King.
King was very passionate in his distrust with the president. “As long as he’s staying here, the more we’re going to have to struggle,” he said.
Sandra Robles found herself at Catholic Charities Gainesville in need of food assistance, it was her first time at a food pantry since she didn’t receive her November benefits. The cut couldn’t have happened at a worse time for Robles, as a tragic turn of events left her alone.
“It’s only me by myself,” she said. “I just had a friend who was living with me, and I found her dead in her room like two or three weeks ago.”
“It’s hard for me,” she said. “I have family, but they barely help me.”
Robles said she was shocked when no deposit came in November. She also has dietary restrictions as a diabetic, making it even harder to find food she can eat.
“At least I don’t eat much usually,” she said.
“You have to save when you can,” said Michael Haberberg, also visiting Catholic Charities in Gainesville. “But when you’re like me, I gotta buy my meal each time; I don’t have anywhere to cook it, so saving money isn’t working.”
Some residents see the cut as a wakeup call, like Teejay Jackson. Jackson moved himself and his children to Florida from Connecticut and was motivated by the absence of food stamps.
“They can keep ‘em baby,” he said. “I’m working and I got a second job,” said Jackson. “They took them from me, and I don’t want them back.”
Ernest Hull, the commanding officer for Gainesville and Central Florida’s Salvation Army, is also staying positive during the shutdown. Hull recognized the growing crowds at food banks but is confident in how his organization can respond.
“I don’t worry because as a religious organization, God has got our back,” he said. “Salvation Army has been around for 160 years and we’re not going anywhere.”
Hull said Salvation Army has started a national campaign to increase donations during the ongoing struggle with SNAP benefits. He said donations from other food banks have been very helpful in the organization’s mission.