This October was a daunting time for families counting on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). For the first time since the 1990s the program is yet again under attack. According to the USDA, an average of 41.7 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits every month. During the 43-day-long government shutdown, The U.S. legislative branch left Americans hanging till the absolute last second, only providing comfort on the exact day SNAP benefits were supposed to crumble, November 1st. This staggering political climate left Americans worrying about fulfilling basic needs. Difficult times like these truly show how a community comes together.

The Salem Food Pantry is doing everything it can to support those in need. According to Executive Director of The Pantry, Robyn Burns, during the November SNAP crisis 150 new volunteers joined The Pantrys workforce and the food supply was expanded by two extra truckloads each week. The shutdown may be over but the uncertainty isn’t. Although the Department of Agriculture has been guaranteed funding through September of 2026 from the Farm Bill, SNAP in 2026 will be stricter, eligibility will become more limited and up to 3 million Americans could lose assistance in the next few years.

Burns said, “We are so grateful to our community of Salem and the North Shore, which always steps up when neighbors may be struggling! One thing that we always like to stress is that programs like ours always see a lot of interest during a crisis and during the holidays. This is an important time for us to receive support and we are busy year round! So we always like to encourage people to connect with us during other parts of the year because hunger is a lived reality for so many.” In uncertain times a community is tested and the North Shores public support is more important and evident than ever.

The shutdown was put to an end but the yearly budget negotiations will begin again on January 20th. SNAP is safe for now but those who have protected healthcare through the Affordable Care Act however are still waiting patiently for news. According to the Harvard Kennedy School, the people at risk “they earn too much to qualify for Medicaid and they’re too young for Medicare, but they don’t have a job that offers health insurance.” The government accomplished a stall. Are we going to have another standstill?

Salem Supports SNAP

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