Mike Anderson manages the Mid-Del Food Pantry, behind First Baptist Church in Midwest City. The pantry is one of dozens across the state working to mitigate the effects of the federal government shutdown by helping Oklahomans access the food they need.
And while the demand for food is constant at the pantry, Anderson said, the past two months have seen that demand skyrocket.
"We can go back to September. We served 670-some households, which for the month is a little higher than usual, but it was easy enough to deal with." he said. "I just ran the numbers for October, and it jumped up to 835 households.
"From 1,200 people to 2,200 people being served. It hit us all at once."
About 685,000 Oklahomans participate in the nation's largest anti-hunger program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, according to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. For the past month, a veil of uncertainty has surrounded funding for the SNAP program.
Late Monday, Oklahoma DHS announced it was working to get SNAP money to recipients as soon as within 24 hours.
The payments would likely be partial, per guidance from USDA. And some recipients may not receive any benefits "due to eligibility restrictions."
"We know people are counting on this support, and our teams have been working around the clock to make sure Oklahomans can put food on the table," said Sondra Shelby, Director of Adult & Family Services, in a news release. "Ensuring these benefits are delivered quickly and reliably is our highest priority."
To help fill in the gaps, tribal nations, state governments and nonprofits are stepping forward to support people as benefits are halted.
Mary Geiger has volunteered at the Mid-Del Food Pantry for about five years. She wanted to connect with people and make a difference in her community.
While the pantry has seen more people seeking food, donations have also increased
"I check in the clients and they're very grateful that we are here," Geiger said.
Making things harder
Amparo Espinoza started going to the Mid-Del Food Pantry when she became disabled and her income declined about six years ago.
She's waiting in a queue for her turn to walk inside and get the food she needs. Espinoza likes coming here — the people are nice. But a month ago, she said there wasn't a wait.
"You can see the need to get food because of what happened with the government," Espinoza said. "And I think that's very sad that we are suffering the consequences of the people that should take care of us."
As recently as October, many here were getting food aid through SNAP, including Espinoza.
This month, she has not yet received the $21 she normally gets through SNAP. For her, the program is nice because it helps her afford certain things. But for others, she knows it is a lifeline.
On the other side of the food pantry from the line, near tables of fresh produce, Ebony Henderson had her arms full. While juggling potatoes, lettuce and cut melon, she said she comes here when she needs help.
"And I thank God that it's allowed me to come at this time because we don't have food from our SNAP, you know?" Henderson said.
Three people in Henderson's household depend on her, and she said not receiving this month's SNAP dollars has made it harder. For Henderson, vegetables are important because she has diabetes.
"It has been a disaster for us because I usually go on the first and go get my food," Henderson said. "Keep it up for the month, as much as I can handle on it and then I back it up with the pantry."
Now, she's taking things one day at a time.
'As long as it takes'
Anderson said the supply of food at the pantry has managed to keep up with the increased demand, for now.
The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, which just got some money injections from the state legislature to help mitigate the lack of SNAP funding, recently broadened the kind of food local operations can order from them in response to the shutdown, Anderson said.
Coupled with support from the community, he said, it's made all the difference.
"September was Hunger Action Month, and we do a lot of food drives during that, but in October with the furloughs and job cuts and all the other issues, the community has just really stepped up, and we have a constant flow of bags of groceries coming in, maybe 20 pounds here, 500 pounds there."
Still, as Congress starts to warm up to a spending package that could reopen the government, Anderson said he expects the need for food assistance to stay for a while after that happens.
"I think the biggest problem is going to be the missed paychecks and trying to recover from that. I see it being six months to maybe the end of the year, or maybe a year, before people get back on an even keel," Anderson said.
"And we're prepared to, you know, as long as it takes to get people fed."
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
