Although Congress voted to reopen the government, the long pause on funding for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, continues to drive up demand at Oklahoma food pantries even as some benefit recipients see partial payouts.
It's 7:30 a.m. and dozens of cars are lined up outside the Urban Mission in Northwest Oklahoma City for a food haul. Hundreds of cars have been queuing up like this every week since the end of October, when federal food assistance was cut off because of a gridlock in Congress that shut down the government.
Wesley Bradley is one of a handful of people who arrived on foot.
He's a veteran who served for 12 years. Today, he participates in SNAP, receiving about $120 per month for groceries.
Due to the federal government shutdown, he and about 685,000 Oklahomans had their benefits halted this month.
Now, the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture guidance has allowed for the release of partial benefits, meaning Wesley and others like him are seeing some relief.
"I woke up this morning, you know, glory to God. There was $20 on there," Bradley said. "But it's still a crying shame."
He said people shouldn't be in this situation to begin with, and that food banks exist to provide temporary assistance. He has other existing – and related – financial pressures, like higher food costs and rent for an apartment in disrepair.
"I think when they quit doing that, one side blaming the other, this country would get somewhere," Bradley said. "Constantly - Republicans, Democrats, Democrats, Republicans. They need to quit that and grow up. You know what I'm saying? And get something done."
While SNAP benefits have been shrouded in uncertainty during the shutdown, Bradley credits his faith in helping him get through the twists and turns.
Bridging a canyon
Inside, where volunteers are pushing carts and stocking shelves, Mission Program Coordinator Alex Jackson is gearing up for food distribution, which starts at 9 a.m.
People and organizations usually give more this time of year, and Jackson said they have done so during the shutdown. For that, the mission's leaders are grateful, and it's making a huge difference in the process.
But this comes after months of declining financial donations. The mission had to cut some of its other programs to meet the current need.
"So we've had to make some changes so that we could pour what we could into this," Jackson said. "A big portion of that is because our inventory has gone so low and food has gotten so expensive and the economy has been rough."
The pantry typically serves about 300 unique families twice a week. During the shutdown, staff and extra volunteers added another time slot for distribution, increasing the number of families served to 350.
Leaders of the mission describe filling the shoes of SNAP not as a gap, but a canyon. There have been a slew of changes to food benefits during the shutdown, and while the government is reopening, Jackson said there is uncertainty about when SNAP shoppers will receive benefits.
She said the pantry is passionate about helping people and will continue to do just that.
Jackson expects heightened demand to persist beyond the stalemate in Congress.
"I would expect even because of the holiday season, we're still going to be busy," she said. "So I think we'll meet capacity today. I bet we meet capacity for the rest of the year."
Oklahoma is one of the most food-insecure states in the nation, and Jackson's organization has been busy for a long time, seeing demand grow yearly. She said not enough people are aware of the state's food insecurity, and discussing it sometimes feels like shouting into the void.
During this time, she is glad people are aware of the importance of SNAP and hopes others have a better understanding of the issue.
"We always talk about how people aren't a project. They're not like someone that we feel bad for," Jackson said. "They're our neighbors and they've asked for help, and we have food, so we're helping them."
What is being done about increased food insecurity during the shutdown?
After more than 40 days of gridlock, Congress voted on reopening the government Wednesday night.
On Nov. 3, days after SNAP benefits ended, Oklahoma lawmakers approved $7 million in state emergency money for food pantries in all 77 counties. That money was to be distributed in portions of $1 million per week for seven weeks, as long as the government remains shut down.
Austin Preckitt leads communications at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. He said the money allotted for the emergency is spent on food boxes, sent to households deemed eligible by the state.
"But early this week, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services sent out some messages and letters to certain folks who've received SNAP benefits in the past saying they're eligible…for emergency food boxes," Prickett said. "That the regional food bank and the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma will be giving out to folks in their service areas."
Eligible households, according to a press release from Gov. Kevin Stitt's office, are those with vulnerable elderly, disabled and child SNAP recipients.
"We're sourcing these food boxes and that's going to be its shelf-stable food, but it's a week's worth of meals for those eligible SNAP households," Prickett said. "And in our case… we're shipping those straight to eligible SNAP participants."
Prickett said food banks appreciate state help but the added stipulations and controlled distribution "eliminate" some people they would normally serve.
"It's kind of the hand we've been dealt," he said. "And so we're just trying to get as much food out as possible."
Tribal nations in the state also stepped up to help, running food drives and distributions. Tribal nations, including the Comanche, Osage and Cherokee Nations, extended payments to eligible people in response.
This week, the Cherokee Nation announced it will continue the multi-million-dollar Cherokee Nation Emergency Food Security Program.
With the federal government looking to reopen, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said federal SNAP dollars can be expected to flow again. Still, it is unclear when payments will resume.
"What is clear is that Cherokee citizens on SNAP were held hostage by politics at the federal level and neglected by many states," Hoskin said. "They either did without food or made other sacrifices to put food on the table."
The deadline is Nov. 14 and Hoskin said donations to food banks and other nonprofits will continue. Hoskin said Cherokee leaders will propose reserving $5 million in a special public health emergency fund.
"Just because federal leaders will reopen the government doesn't mean the damage they caused will be quickly repaired," Hoskin said.
