'It puts the pressure on': Food pantries stressed as SNAP concerns spike traffic
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Whittney Thomas and her two sisters loaded two shopping carts full of food into an older gold SUV Thursday afternoon, Oct. 30. They were among the last people served at the Jewish Community Pantry on the city's north side.
Thomas said she's a mother of 12, and 10 of those kids are 15 or younger, so she needed plenty of goods. She added she doesn't frequently visit the pantry, but she felt there wasn't much of a choice as her FoodShare benefits for November are paused amid the federal government shutdown.
"I don't come often, but since it's been going on about, going around we won't be receiving FoodShare," she said. "I think it could be very critical for me and other families."
The Thomas sisters had a lot of company.
Heidi Gould, the pantry's director, said on a typical Thursday, about 90 different households will come through. This week, the pantry served 143 households during its Thursday hours. The same thing happened Tuesday, when instead of the usual 50 or so families, the pantry distributed food to 103 households.
"It puts the pressure on pantries like us," Gould said. "We are stretched thin because our inventory is set for those averages, and we order months ahead."
According to state Department of Health Services (DHS) data, nearly 96,500 children in Milwaukee County alone received FoodShare benefits in September. Statewide, more than 266,000 children received FoodShare benefits last month.
Because of the government shutdown, about 700,000 Wisconsinites won't receive their normal monthly FoodShare benefits.
"People are anxious, worried, scared. They don't know what's going to happen," Patrick Higgins, director of the Project Concern pantry said at a press conference Thursday. "They've been coming in to us, asking for additional help."
The Project Concern pantry mainly serves families in Cudahy and St. Francis. Higgins was joined by a group of Milwaukee-area legislative Democrats.
When asked if they wanted Wisconsin to use some of its $2 billion rainy day fund to cover FoodShare benefits during the shutdown, the Democratic lawmakers said they wanted the Trump administration and the USDA to use existing federal funds to pay out benefits for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).
"We're here to do what we can, encouraging people to donate their food. If it comes to it, and Republicans at the state come to their senses before their federal partners do, yes, we should move forward to try and fund it from the state," State Sen, Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said. "But to be clear, this is a Republican-made crisis."
Republicans maintain the shutdown is the fault of U.S. Senate Democrats, who've refused to provide the necessary votes for short-term spending bill unless it includes an extension of tax credits under the Affordable Care Act.
At the state level, the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau confirmed the state still has $373 million in unspent federal COVID-19 aid, as of June 30. However, the bureau added that money is all obligated, meaning it already has dedicated uses.
Tapping into either the state's rainy-day fund or its $4.6 billion surplus would require support from the GOP-controlled Legislature. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu's office told CBS 58 Wednesday any delays in FoodShare benefits are entirely the fault of Democrats in the U.S. Senate.
Meanwhile, the pantries are seeking ways to keep their shelves stocked should the shutdown extend well into November and beyond.
"We are setting up some community food drives," Gould said. "We are spreading the word about getting donations from the community. We also applying for emergency food grants, as well."
The families who now find themselves relying on those pantries simply want people in government, whether Washington, D.C. or Madison, to release money that is available to fund November benefits.
"I feel they should step forward," Thomas said. "And do what's right for families if they have the funding."