By Lindsey Toomer

When SNAP benefits froze during the government shut down last year, organizations like Food for Hope, an organization that supports nutrition for kids, were suddenly asked to triple or quadruple their output within a week, Executive Director Emily Stromquist said. Families who had never needed food support suddenly found themselves relying on food banks, she said.

“The conversation was, ‘Well, these families are losing their SNAP support. Everyone just go to your local food pantry,’” Stromquist said. “And local food pantries were left with very few resources to handle that.”

One mother helped by Food for Hope is unable to work consistent hours because she supports four children with disabilities, Stromquist said. While her kids are fed lunch at school, she relied on food pantries for dinners. That meant better nutrition for the mother, too, because while kids are fed at school, parents aren’t, so she sometimes skipped meals.