Inside the Urban Ministries of Wake County’s food pantry on Thursday morning, volunteers slid boxes of pasta and cans of vegetables into brown paper bags, the day’s rations for families waiting outside in a line of cars that wrapped around the building.
Outside, pantry manager Jerry Leslie moved from car to car with a clipboard, checking names and employment status as volunteers hustled to keep pace. The line has grown in recent weeks, he said, a sign of rising need as the federal shutdown unsettles families across North Carolina.
“We’ve got a lot of furloughed workers coming through,” Leslie said. “A lot of truck drivers are starting to come through the line, too.”
The morning before, he noticed a woman typing on her laptop while she waited. “I asked about her situation, and she told me she’s employed but not getting paid.”
As the shutdown stretches into its fourth week, food pantries like Urban Ministry have become a vital safety net for furloughed workers and low-income households bracing for impending disruptions to federal food assistance.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program still has funding, but benefits will halt this weekend if the Trump administration does not authorize emergency USDA reserves. The agency has said it will not do so.
On Tuesday, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined several states in suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture, seeking to compel the release of reserve funds to continue SNAP benefits in November. The lawsuit aims to protect food assistance for 1.4 million North Carolinians, including about 580,000 children.
On Thursday, Gov. Josh Stein announced that the state and private donors are sending $18 million to North Carolina food banks to help. However, that’s just a fraction of the $230 to $250 million SNAP benefits pump into the state every month.
If payments pause for long, food aid groups warn they will not be able to meet the surge in need.
“We used to serve between 80 and 100 people a day,” Leslie said. “Now we’re seeing at least 200 daily.”
Sitting in his car, Theodore Robinson, 78, said the looming threat of cuts worries him and his neighbors. “It’ll affect the very essence of our lives — everyone who depends on these programs,” he said.
Franklin County mom Rebecca Cuering is also worried about what the coming disruption will mean for her family.
When stagehand work comes through, she takes it. At home, she raises her 6-year-old son while caring for her 78-year-old mother, who has dementia, and her brother, a veteran. Their well barely produces clean water, so part of her SNAP benefits goes toward buying it by the gallon.
Before she qualified for SNAP, she fell behind on utilities and her car was repossessed. The benefits, she said, have given her just enough breathing room to keep the lights on and begin rebuilding.
“Since getting SNAP, I’ve been able to start catching up on bills,” Cuering said. “Without it, I don’t know what we’d do — probably start asking strangers for help.”
Inside the food pantry, the shelves remain stocked for now, but staff worry that a shutdown could quickly change that.
The Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides about 70% of Urban Ministries’ monthly supplies, distributes staples like canned vegetables, beans, rice, applesauce, and usually three types of meat.
But with the shutdown, even that lifeline is at risk. Recent deliveries have arrived short, particularly on protein. “The last order we had, we didn’t get any meat,” Leslie said.
To fill some of the gap, Urban Ministries has turned to local partners, scheduled six community food drives for November, and is using its limited funds to stock the pantry.
“It’s going to be cutting it close,” Leslie said.
Even so, he expects they will make it through the end of the year. “We have a good base of support. We’re just trying to keep up with the need.”
Jessica N. Holmes, former state auditor and executive director of Urban Ministries of Wake County, recalled growing up reliant on free lunch, pantries, and SNAP benefits.
“Even though North Carolina is known for agriculture, too many of our neighbors still go hungry,” Holmes said in a statement. “With the government shutdown, things can go from bad to worse very quickly for hard-working families and children.”
To volunteer or donate to Urban Ministries of Wake County visit www.urbanmin.org
Hence then, the article about as shutdown continues and snap runs out north carolina food pantries stand in the gap was published today ( ) and is available on NC news line ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( As shutdown continues and SNAP runs out, North Carolina food pantries stand in the gap )
Also on site :
- China's First Domestic Anti-CTLA-4 Monoclonal Antibody, Innovent's TABOSUN® (Ipilimumab N01 Injection) Received NMPA Approval
- Prominent Canadian Musician Says Gig Was Cancelled After Google AI Overview Wrongly Branded Him Sex Pest
- Goldman Sachs expects layoffs to keep rising—and says investors are punishing the stocks of companies that slash staff