Ana Melo, a terminal operations coordinator with the Metropolitan Airports Commission, stood behind a table of boxed-up food on Wednesday inside Terminal 1 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, smiling and thanking the Transportation Security Administration employees and other federal workers as they carried off provisions of pasta, cereal and more.
“It’s heartwarming to do something for the people who need it,” Melo said of the workers.
The distribution of emergency food boxes, organized by Second Harvest Heartland, the Sanneh Foundation and the Metropolitan Airports Commission, will happen weekly as the government shutdown continues and federal workers remain furloughed or, like those with the TSA, are still working despite not getting their paychecks.
One TSA worker, who declined to give her name, said the assistance was helpful, and that she’s trying to keep this tough time in perspective.
“That’s what you sign up for when you become a public servant,” she said of the shutdown.
But with many additional Minnesotans bracing for the upcoming pause to federal food benefits in November, can the state’s safety net of food shelves, food banks and other sources fill the gap?
That’s the challenge ahead, say officials with food-related nonprofits serving the metro and the state.
‘The first stop’
On Monday, hours after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would not release food benefits (also known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP) in November due to the shutdown, Gov. Tim Walz announced $4 million in state aid for food shelves in Minnesota.
In St. Paul, Georgi Nguyen, director of Basic Needs at Keystone Community Services, was thankful, as she says this should mean a base of $5,000 in support for food shelves, with additional funds based on the number of individuals served.
“We really appreciate Gov. Walz’s allocation of additional funding and his acknowledgment that it’s a bridge and will not fill the gap that the absence of SNAP funds is going to create,” she said.
What can the public do?
Nguyen’s call-to action-suggestions include: Monetary donations (they can purchase more food through food banks than private individuals can at grocery stores); organizing or participating in a food drive; volunteering your time. An additional option is to reach out to your local, state and federal representatives about this issue.
For now, the staff at Keystone are planning for what could be a historically challenging November.
“In Ramsey county alone, over 70,000 people will be impacted,” Nguyen said of the SNAP pause. “We’ll be the first stop for a lot of folks.”
Get info about help or donating at keystoneservices.org.
Suburban hunger
A woman paused her shopping cart in the produce section of Today’s Harvest, a free market at Open Cupboard in Oakdale, on Tuesday to address the nonprofit’s executive director.
“I love how you guys don’t ask questions,” the shopper said to Jessica Francis over a bin of potatoes. “If someone is a human and they’re hungry, they can come and get food to eat. You don’t care about our zip code, we don’t have to have identification. It’s a beautiful thing.”
“I’m glad to hear it’s been helpful,” Francis said.
Open Cupboard’s services, including another fresh market in Maplewood and a drive-up grocery option in Oakdale, have been helpful to more people than ever since the government shutdown. On Tuesday, across all their programs, they served about 1,300 households, a 10-15% increase from two weeks ago.
“So the question is,” Francis says, “how much will they increase after the SNAP benefits lapse on Saturday?”
With the nonprofit already operating at capacity six days a week, it is an overwhelming time, Francis says, but they are not alone: The Washington County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting on Thursday for discussion and consideration of county assistance related to the federal government shutdown and non-payment of November SNAP benefits.
“It really heartens us during this daunting time,” Francis says. “We definitely are trying to just figure out how we can make this process efficient so we can serve more people every day.”
That includes the shopper who thanked her. The Woodbury woman, who asked to be identified only as Marie, is married with three kids, including an infant. While her husband is not a federal worker, his job’s income is irregular and food benefits help the family get through leaner times, in addition to side gigs like driving for DoorDash.
Marie waited about an hour for her turn to shop through the mostly fresh food stations, which included produce, bread, dairy and meat. Marie left with 27 pounds of food procured from sources including grocery stores and Second Harvest Heartland. The grocery haul included chicken strips, cilantro, pretzel buns, a bag of salad, potato salad, bananas, potatoes and milk.
Marie is hoping her husband’s paycheck will come through soon for future grocery trips, especially with no SNAP benefits on the way.
“If not,” she says, “we’ll just have to come here.”
She’s also trying to stay positive.
“I feel like this is maybe going to force people to see past their differences and just be there for each other as humans,” she said.
To learn about how to get food from Open Cupboard, or to donate or volunteer, visit opencupboard.org.
The Food Group
But can any state, program or community really make up the federal absence in November?
That’s the question posed by Sophia Lenarz-Coy, executive director of The Food Group, a Minnesota nonprofit that works across the food system in our state, from production to distribution, including providing food to hunger relief partners, supporting sustainable food production and increasing food access by selling affordable groceries to all.
“SNAP is a federal program, so the fact that there won’t be SNAP benefits in November, that’s a federal problem and requires a federal solution,” says Lenarz-Coy. “While we celebrate the state stepping up with emergency funding for food shelves and the food banks rapid response plans, the scale of SNAP cannot be replaced.
“For every meal distributed in Minnesota, SNAP provides nine,” she says. “In November alone, that’s $70 million. That’s not a fill-in challenge.”
Others agree: A lawsuit was filed Tuesday by 22 Democratic attorneys general, including Keith Ellison of Minnesota, seeking to tap the emergency money for SNAP funding.
In Washington D.C. this week on another matter, Lenarz-Coy said she planned to meet with Minnesota’s federal delegation about SNAP, which will not only affect the people who receive benefits, but also the grocery stores who serve them.
“We are talking to our federal delegation, asking them to compel the USDA to use their contingency fund for November benefits. That’s almost $5 billion sitting in an account that absolutely could be used for this,” she says. “It feels urgent and in past shutdowns, SNAP benefits have not been withheld.
“Whatever anyone thinks politically, all agree that the most vulnerable folks should not be used as pawns.”
She also doesn’t want people without benefits or paychecks to be afraid.
“We don’t want them to feel like everyone is on their own, that there’s no hope, that they won’t make it through,” she says. “People will.”
To learn more about The Food Group’s programs, including an affordable traveling grocery store for all, or to donate, visit thefoodgroupmn.org.
Behind every number
Sarah Moberg, the chief executive officer at Second Harvest Heartland — the nation’s second largest food bank serving 59 counties in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin — stood in Terminal One on Wednesday as employees in and out of uniforms picked up their boxes of food.
“I think it’s important, as people hear statistics and numbers, to remember that behind every number is a person,” Moberg said. “It is a household, a senior, a child, and that those are real people being impacted. It’s easy to forget that sometimes.”
These workers are not being forgotten by this partnership of Second Harvest, Sanneh and MAC.
“We plan to be here on a weekly basis until the shutdown has ended and paychecks have resumed for federal employees,” Moberg says.
Second Harvest
Get help accessing food by calling or texting Second Harvest Heartland at 866-844-3663. Info/donate at 2harvest.org.
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