JUST A FEW MOMENTS. >> IF WE CAN’T GET OR OUR KIDS NEED IS GOING TO BE HARD IF IT WAS JUST ME. >> THEN I WOULDN’T REALLY TO WORRY ABOUT IT. BUT WITH MY BOYS, IT’S I WORRY ABOUT MY BOYS MORE THAN ANYTHING. >> TONIGHT, MORE THAN 40 MILLION AMERICANS ARE AT RISK OF NOT BEING ABLE TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE. IF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES NOT REOPEN. THIS IS A LIVE LOOK FROM THE CAPITOL IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN NEARING ITS 4TH FULL WEEK. RIGHT NOW THERE IS ABOUT 3 MILLION FLORIDIANS ON SNAP BENEFITS NEARLY 12% OF FLORIDA. THE WHITE HOUSE ESTIMATES MORE THAN 1.1 MILLION OF THOSE ARE CHILDREN. GULF COAST NEWS CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER DAVE ELIAS EXPLAINS WHY PEOPLE HAVE TO MAKE THE CHOICE OF PAYING OTHER BILLS ARE FEEDING THEIR FAMILIES. >> WITH THE HARRY CHAPIN, FOOD BANK IS THE BIGGEST FOOD DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN OUR AREA. IN FACT, LAST YEAR, THEY DISTRIBUTED SOME 40 MILLION TONS OF FOOD, BUT THEY WORRY THAT THIS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN COULD HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT THAT HURRICANE IAN HAD HERE. >> I’M ONLY DOWN TO ONE PACKAGE. IT CAN NOT ONLY KNOW WHAT I’M GONNA FOR THE NEXT MONTHS SHY AND HE WITH SNAP BENEFITS ARE GONE OUT SEA. SHE’S LEFT WONDERING HOW SHE’LL FEED HER YOUNG AUTISTIC SON. MY SON WON’T HAVE HIS MO AND WE WON’T HAVE FOOD AND SHE’S NOT ALONE. PARENTS WORRY THAT WITHOUT SNAP BENEFITS BY NOVEMBER. FIRST, DO HAVE SOME TOUGH DECISIONS. I’LL GO WITHOUT EATING IT OR ANYTHING. AS LONG AS MY KIDS EAT FAMILY SHOP HERE AT THE COMMUNITY. CO-OPERATIVE IN FORT MYERS. I JUST HOPE AND PRAY THAT THEY DON’T SHUT IT DOWN BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE AND I. >> A LOT OF MOTHERS THAT ARE REALLY DEPENDENT ON THE SNAP BENEFITS. I CAN TELL YOU AS A NONPROFIT LEADER, THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT. STEPHANIE EDWARDS WARNS THE PROBLEM IS GETTING SERIOUS. ALL THE 70’S BENEFITS DO GO AWAY AND THESE INDIVIDUALS COME TO ORGANIZATIONS LIKE OURS LOOKING FOR ASSISTANCE LIKE WE’RE GOING TO SEE A A HUGE TIDAL WAVE OF ME THAT WE’VE NOT SEEN BEFORE. THE HARRY CHAPIN, FOOD BANK, WHO SUPPLIES MUCH OF THEIR FOOD SAYS IT COULD BE FAR WORSE THAN HURRICANE IAN HURRICANE. IAN, ROUGHLY DOUBLED THE DEMAND FOR OUR SERVICES FOR A PERIOD OF CRIME. >> THIS IS LARGER THAN THAT IN TERMS ITS IMPACT. CEO RICHARD LEBER WARNS THAT SUPPLIES HERE COULD BE IN TROUBLE. I THINK WE’RE UP FOR A VERY DIFFICULT STRETCH FOR A LOT OF FOLKS. THE MIDWEST FOOD BANK IS PRIVATELY FUNDED AND GETS NO GOVERNMENT MONEY. WE DEFINITELY HAVE AGENCIES THAT ARE REQUESTING MORE FOOD AND THEY’RE PREPARED TO HELP AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. WE’RE READY IF NEEDED. WE’RE READY TO GO. >> IT DOESN’T MEAN WILL WILL NOT RUN OUT NOW WHILE DONATING THINGS LIKE CANNED GOODS ARE ALWAYS HELPFUL. THE FOOD BANK SAYS WHAT’S NEEDED RIGHT NOW IS CASH IN FORT MYERS, DAVE ELIAS GULF COAST NEWS. >> ACCORDING TO THE WHITE HOUSE, ABOUT 155,000 FEDERAL WORKERS IN FLORIDA ARE WORKING WITHOUT PAY ABOUT 2900 WORKERS HAVE ALREA
SNAP benefits in Florida dry up, leaving families with tough choices amid government shutdown
The government shutdown threatens food stamp program now known as SNAP benefits.
Updated: 7:18 PM EDT Oct 27, 2025
As the government shutdown nears its fourth week, more than 40 million Americans, including nearly 3 million people in Florida, face the risk of losing access to SNAP benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) which could leave them unable to put food on the table.Cheyenne Haworth, a mother, expressed her concern, saying, “I’m down to one pack of chicken, and I don’t know what I’m going to do for the next month.” Her SNAP benefits have run out, leaving her worried about how she will feed her young autistic son. “My son won’t have his milk, and we won’t have food,” she said.Parents are anxious about the potential loss of SNAP benefits by Nov. 1, which could force them to make difficult decisions. Lu’Rain Haworth from Fort Myers said, “I’ll go without eating or anything as long as my kids eat.” She shops at the Community Cooperative in Fort Myers and hopes the benefits won’t be cut. “I just hope and pray they don’t shut it down because a lot of people and mothers are dependent on the SNAP benefits,” she said.Stefanie Edwards, CEO of Community Cooperative, highlighted the seriousness of the situation. “I can tell you as a nonprofit leader, these are the kinds of things that keep me at night,” she said. Edwards warned that if benefits disappear, organizations like hers will face unprecedented demand. “If all the sudden, these benefits to go away and these individuals come to organizations like ours, we’re going to see a huge title wave of need we’ve not seen before,” she said.Richard LeBer, CEO of the Harry Chapin Food Bank, which supplies much of the food to the cooperative, said the impact could be worse than Hurricane Ian. “Hurricane Ian roughly doubled our demand for services for a period of time. This is larger than that in terms of impact,” he said. LeBer warned that supplies could be in trouble, saying, “I think we’re up to a very difficult stretch for a lot of folks.”The Midwest Food Bank, which is privately funded and receives no government money, is located in Fort Myers and prepared to help as long as possible. JP Almonacid from the Midwest Food Bank said, “We definitely have more agencies that are requesting more food.” He added, “We’re ready if needed, we’re ready to go. Doesn’t mean we’ll not run out.”While donating canned goods is helpful, the food banks emphasize that cash donations are what is most needed now.
FORT MYERS, Fla. —
As the government shutdown nears its fourth week, more than 40 million Americans, including nearly 3 million people in Florida, face the risk of losing access to SNAP benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) which could leave them unable to put food on the table.
Cheyenne Haworth, a mother, expressed her concern, saying, “I’m down to one pack of chicken, and I don’t know what I’m going to do for the next month.” Her SNAP benefits have run out, leaving her worried about how she will feed her young autistic son. “My son won’t have his milk, and we won’t have food,” she said.
Parents are anxious about the potential loss of SNAP benefits by Nov. 1, which could force them to make difficult decisions. Lu’Rain Haworth from Fort Myers said, “I’ll go without eating or anything as long as my kids eat.” She shops at the Community Cooperative in Fort Myers and hopes the benefits won’t be cut. “I just hope and pray they don’t shut it down because a lot of people and mothers are dependent on the SNAP benefits,” she said.
Stefanie Edwards, CEO of Community Cooperative, highlighted the seriousness of the situation. “I can tell you as a nonprofit leader, these are the kinds of things that keep me at night,” she said. Edwards warned that if benefits disappear, organizations like hers will face unprecedented demand. “If all the sudden, these benefits to go away and these individuals come to organizations like ours, we’re going to see a huge title wave of need we’ve not seen before,” she said.
Richard LeBer, CEO of the Harry Chapin Food Bank, which supplies much of the food to the cooperative, said the impact could be worse than Hurricane Ian. “Hurricane Ian roughly doubled our demand for services for a period of time. This is larger than that in terms of impact,” he said. LeBer warned that supplies could be in trouble, saying, “I think we’re up to a very difficult stretch for a lot of folks.”
The Midwest Food Bank, which is privately funded and receives no government money, is located in Fort Myers and prepared to help as long as possible. JP Almonacid from the Midwest Food Bank said, “We definitely have more agencies that are requesting more food.” He added, “We’re ready if needed, we’re ready to go. Doesn’t mean we’ll not run out.”
While donating canned goods is helpful, the food banks emphasize that cash donations are what is most needed now.