Good Shepherd Food Bank Responds to USDA Notification of November SNAP Delays

Auburn, Maine – On October 21, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) notified states that November benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps almost 170,000 Maine households afford groceries, will not be issued on time. The delay is a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown.

This news comes as hunger in Maine is at its highest rate in ten years with more than 190,000 of our neighbors living with food insecurity. At 13.8% Maine’s food insecurity rate is higher than the national average and includes 50,000 children, or 1 in 5 kids, which is the highest rate of child food insecurity in New England. At a time when people are already facing sustained high prices, suspended SNAP benefits would drive even more Maine families to the already overwhelmed charitable food network.

The ramifications of the suspended SNAP benefits are wide-reaching. Of those living with food insecurity in Maine, nearly 170,000 currently receive SNAP benefits. In several counties, including Androscoggin, Aroostook, Piscataquis, Somerset, and Washington, nearly 20% of the population rely on SNAP. 75% of Maine households receiving SNAP include at least one working adult, more than half include a person with a disability, 43% include an older adult, and over one-third include children.

“The loss of this critical safety net would be devastating for neighbors who rely on it to feed themselves and their families,” said Heather Paquette, Good Shepherd Food Bank’s president. “Maine can’t ‘food bank’ its way out of cuts of this magnitude. Food pantries across the state are already reporting record numbers of people seeking help and the suspension of SNAP benefits in November would create an insurmountable need that the charitable food network is not prepared to support.”

People currently receiving SNAP benefits are encouraged to contact the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to ensure their contact information is up to date.

Good Shepherd Food Bank will continue to work with Maine’s network of 600 food pantries and other hunger relief organizations to support the 170,000 Mainers that will be affected if SNAP is not funded in November.