Media Coverage

The longest federal government shutdown in US history is over. But there’s uncertainty about how long before life will be back to normal for the 1.4 million Ohioans in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program who lost food stamp benefits during it.

SNAP recipients will get their benefits for November, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. ODJFS said this week the state processed partial payments for eligible households. That will now be deducted from the full amount households are set to get for November and then benefits will be transferred to electronic benefit transfer or EBT cards.

"In normal times it takes several days or even weeks for file transfers to move from the state to a third party vendor who then transmits data to the federal government who then basically takes steps to approve issuance of benefits," said Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. "So to restart full issuance of benefits seemingly also takes some time. We don't know with certainty how much longer it will take."

ODJFS isn’t giving a timeline or a date.

While Americans receiving SNAP benefits may have breathed a sigh of relief with the passage Wednesday of legislation to end the longest government shutdown in American history, the true relief may take some time to make its way down to those in need.

With that in mind, the Lima Black Ministerial Alliance made a contribution to the city’s Stronger Together Fund to help the West Ohio Food Bank meet an increasing need for food donations.

The alliance’s $5,500 donation comes at a critical time, according to Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith and West Ohio Food Bank CEO Tommie Harner.

The Dayton Food Bank will receive approximately $420,000 to serve Montgomery, Greene and Preble counties.

The Ohio Foodbank Association’s Executive Director, Joree Novotny, said the funds were much greater before the shutdown.

“We’re usually moving in and out $32 million worth of food every month across the state already,” Novotny said.

However, Novotny said anything will help at this time.

“We’re very grateful for the additional $7 million to help buy food, but it’s not going to fill all the gaps,” Novotny said.

Local food banks and pantries are seeing an even greater need because federal workers are not getting paychecks.

“Yesterday, we served 145 clients. Today, we served 129,” Greene County Fish Pantry Executive Director Mike Reeves said. “We did 25 brand new families. Today, it was about 15. Almost every one of them says it’s due to snap issues.”

Around 1.4 million Ohioans receive help buying groceries from SNAP, also known as food stamps.

That's about 12% of the state's population benefiting from food assistance, according to the Center for Community Solutions.

This includes 57-year-old Amy Sherlock of Goshen, Ohio. She is currently receiving disability benefits and received SNAP assistance for years when she was raising three children and working over 50 hours a week as a restaurant manager.

"SNAP isn’t handouts to lazy people, it’s supplementing poor wages paid by corporations who are making record profits off the backs of their underpaid employees," Sherlock said.

Sherlock and others receiving food assistance are now at risk of food insecurity as the federal government shutdown turns into the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

The Trump administration is rerouting $4.65 billion to the program. This is nearly half of the typical $8 billion SNAP recipients receive each month.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Some of Ohio’s $263 million in monthly food assistance is expected to arrive soon, according to the Trump administration, but it’s still unclear when or how much.

President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday it will partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program after two federal judges ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to keep the program running during the federal shutdown.

When Kyra Gleckler heard about the impending disruptions to SNAP starting Sunday, she felt called to take action.

“I myself have been on SNAP before when I was a single parent,” she said. “It’s something kids are going to suffer from and they don’t have anything to do with it.”

So she made a Facebook post, asking if anyone would be interested in collecting donations or cooking community meals.

Five days later, a group of about 20 volunteers gathered to brainstorm. Gleckler said they’ve already received enough donations to form a small nonprofit called Guernsey County Community Growth.

The group will put together food distribution boxes for community members and bags to send home with local students.

Gleckler is one of many community leaders throughout southeast Ohio mobilizing to support those at risk of soon going without SNAP benefits.

If the ongoing federal shutdown continues into November, SNAP recipients will not see new benefits loaded onto their accounts, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Those with a remaining balance in will still be able to access those funds.

While the Trump administration said last week it could not continue to fund SNAP during the shutdown, several state leaders suing the federal government disagree.