Atlanta Food Banks Report 40% Increase in Demand After Emergency Food Benefits Stopped

An anti-hunger NGO says the end of emergency food benefits creates hardship for many people.

In March, states nationwide stopped paying the emergency food benefit payments that started earlier in the pandemic. The extra money helped millions of low-income families handle both the financial uncertainty of the COVID-19 lockdowns and the sky-high living costs that followed.

Now, some households face a significant hole in their food budgets. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the drop in benefits is between $95 and $250 or more for families in states that continued to pay out emergency allotments. That drop means families are leaning more on food banks and other anti-hunger non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Food banks gear up for increased demand

Research from the Urban Institute showed that the extra Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments kept millions of people out of poverty. The emergency allotments were managed at a state level and some states stopped paying them in 2021 and 2022. However, 35 states continued to make the extra money available until this year.

Now that's come to an end, it's too early to measure the full impact on households in more than half the country. That said, it is clear that homes are feeling the pressure. One person queuing for a Kentucky food pantry told The Washington Post that she can no longer afford fresh vegetables or eggs, while another said she was having trouble keeping up with the appetites of her teenage boys.

The fallout in states like Georgia and Iowa that already stopped making extra SNAP payments last year gives us a sense of what may be happening in the rest of the country right now. Anti-hunger NGO Feeding America told us by email that:

• The Atlanta Community Food Bank has seen about a 40% increase in demand. Atlanta ended SNAP emergency allotments in June 2022.
• Demand at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank has increased by 30%. The charity says the number of people visiting some food pantries has doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled. Iowa ended its extra food benefits in April 2022.

Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer at Feeding America, says many households will struggle to handle the end of the extra assistance. "We know this will create hardship for many people -- especially seniors, families with children and people with disabilities -- who will then turn to the charitable food system for support," he said.

What to do if you can't feed your family

If you don't have enough money in your bank account to buy food, there are no easy answers. Call United Way at 211 for information about local support and financial assistance. The organization may be able to help you navigate the immediate crisis and beyond.

Here are some other steps you can take:

• Find out what food pantries and soup kitchens operate near you: If you haven't been to a food pantry before, know that you may need to show proof of ID or other documentation. Be prepared for long lines and try to arrive early. There may be rules on how many times you can visit each food pantry, but there's nothing to stop you visiting more than one if you need it.
• See if you're eligible for other assistance: SNAP is the biggest food assistance program, but it's not the only source of help -- for food or other benefits. For example, if you have young children, are pregnant, or breastfeeding, see if you qualify for WIC. Go to benefits.gov to see if there are other programs that might apply to you.
• Stretch your SNAP dollars as far as possible: Find out if there are any double food dollar projects nearby. These essentially let you get two-for-one on fruit and vegetables at participating farmers markets and stores. Also know that several cash back apps work with SNAP payments, so you might be able to get something back on your spending. Look for ways to layer rewards by combining out in-store discounts and coupons with cash back bonuses.

It's all very well to talk about looking for ways to earn extra cash or sell unwanted goods online. The trouble is that many families have already exhausted those options. Ultimately, higher living costs have been much harder for low income households to swallow, and the emergency allotments went some way to easing the pressure. Don't be afraid to ask for support. Food charities may be handling higher demand, but if you can't feed yourself or your family, they are still there to help.