Local social service agencies are preparing for a surge in the need for food across the area and are hoping the community will help.
Food pantries, local leaders say, were already strained in recent months; the situation will worsen if the federal SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits are allowed to expire Nov. 1 amid the federal shutdown.
“For families across Louisville and Southern Indiana, the impact will be immediate and devastating,” said an Oct. 30 statement from Dare to Care, which supplies food pantries in 13 counties in the region, including those run by Catholic parishes and social service agencies.
SNAP benefits currently provide about $16 million in monthly food assistance in Jefferson County, the statement said.
“SNAP is the first line of defense; food banks are here to help fill in the gaps. The monthly $16 million dollars flowing through SNAP in Jefferson County alone is more than Dare to Care’s entire annual budget for the 13 counties we serve in Kentuckiana,” it said. Food insecurity, which affects children, seniors and working families, “will surge to record levels.”
At the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, “Our shelves are bare and the lines are long,” said an Oct. 30 statement.
The society, which operates a food pantry and the Open Hand Kitchen on South Preston Street near downtown Louisville, said its supplies are already strained, without the concern over SNAP benefits.
“We’ve seen a slow but steady increase in people served all year, but in July, we saw a 17% increase in households served at the pantry and a 24% increase in meals served in the kitchen. We expect our numbers in October to show a big increase as well,” the statement said.
Earlier this week, on Tuesday, the pantry set a one-day record, serving 150 people. On Thursday, Oct. 30, “we served 128 people before we ran out of everything.”
Catholic Charities of Louisville is seeing a similar strain on its resources in Louisville and in Bardstown, Ky.
Its three pantries have been “experiencing increased demand over the past months,” said Lisa DeJaco Crutcher, CEO of Catholic Charities of Louisville, during an Oct. 29 event.
“We’re seeing more people, and the people who are coming have more need. … On the supply side, unfortunately, we’re seeing less available.”
Come Nov. 1, families and individuals will “be coming to our pantries, where we have already seen increased demand and reduced supply,” DeJaco Crutcher said.
“So we have a really big problem. I am very concerned about what this is going to look like in the space of a couple of weeks.”
To assist Catholic Charities with donations, visit cclou.org/donate/#ways-to-give or contact donations@archlou.org. To volunteer at the pantries, visit cclou.org/volunteer.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul launched its “Stock the Shelves” initiative in September to help meet growing needs. The organization also accepts volunteer help and financial donations. Visit svdplou.org for more information.
Dare to Care, which helps stock pantries around the area, is also accepting donations of food and funding at daretocare.org.
