Government shutdown threatening SNAP benefits
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
As the federal government shutdown continues, a new concern has arisen for many in Beaufort County – how can I feed my family?
The Trump administration has said that as of Nov. 1, food assistance known as SNAP will end as a result of the ongoing shutdown.
Lori Opozda, Executive Director of HELP of Beaufort, which is the largest food pantry in northern Beaufort County, said that they have already experienced an increase in people coming into the food pantry just with the program being cut down.
“We’ve seen about a 22% increase in the last three to four weeks,” Opozda said. “You know with the holidays, it just couldn’t come at a worse time of the year because with Thanksgiving right around the corner, it defiantly puts a larger burden on our pantry trying to keep it stocked with food.”
Who is affected?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a food assistance program that provides aid to more than 40 million American citizens by allowing them to receive benefits on an EBT card, which is similar to a debit card, monthly.
In South Carolina, families that make less than 30% above the official poverty line qualify for the “food stamps,” as it is common known.
In Beaufort County, an estimated 40% of the population is below the SNAP threshold, according to Feeding America, and as recently as 2022, more than 21,000 citizens dealt with food insecurity.
Food insecurity is when a household does not have access to enough food due to lack of money or other essential resources, according to Feeding America.
Isn’t that what a food pantry is for?
Opozda said the last time that there was large rush and uptick of people the pantry was right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when no one had any real idea what was going on.
Not all food pantries in the Lowcountry operate the same, they each have their own set of rules and some have certain thresholds you have to meet in order to be able to qualify for food.
HELP of Beaufort does not require you to meet any such threshold to get food at their new facility on Ribaut Road in Port Royal, unless you want to get food from the shelves donated by Lowcountry Food Bank.
They do require you to sign up with an online charity tracker when you arrive so that they can keep track of where you visit and how many times you have been, but anyone, no matter your income or socioeconomic status is welcome to come get help at HELP of Beaufort.
“Most people don’t realize how close they are to having nothing,” Opozda said. “If you made $80,000 a year but are out of work for several weeks because of an accident, illness or surgery, it’s amazing how fast the money can go. Everyone needs help every once in a while.”
Opozda said that not only are they expecting the regular clientele, but they are expecting the normal uptick in people coming into the pantry to get food because of the upcoming holiday season, and they must account for all of the government employees who are currently not receiving a paycheck also due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Now if you add in all of the people who are in desperate need of everything due to losing their SNAP benefits, Opozda said she would not be surprised if the number of people coming to HELP of Beaufort rose to rival that of the early COVID-19 shutdown.
How can you help?
“If you can, donate,” Opozda said. “I’m so grateful that we were able to open this new facility when we did so that we have more space to store non-perishable goods.”
While most immediately think of non-perishable canned goods when it comes to donating to food pantries, Opozda said that they are in need of perishable items, as well, as their new facility has a lot of refrigerated space to store the items.
“Dairy, cheese, meat, lunch meats, breakfast foods, they are all very much appreciated and go quickly,” Opozda said.
She also said that fruits and vegetables are also welcome, although they do Fresh Express events in partnership with Lowcountry Food Banks where anyone is welcome to come by and get fresh vegetables put directly into their cars for free.
At the Fresh Express event held on Tuesday, Oct. 28, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Opozda said that nearly double the number of people showed up for the free corn, sweet potatoes and onions.
Normally the events attract around 125 people, 170 at most, but on Tuesday more than 250 people came for the free fresh vegetables.
“The line was out into Ribaut,” Opozda said. “They had to redirect traffic down the road not to clog it up.”
HELP of Beaufort also accepts monetary donations, donations of non-food items such as personal hygiene items, and if you cannot make it to the store yourself, you can place an order at Walmart and have it delivered straight to their address at 1600 Ribaut Road in Port Royal.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
