At Open Hand Food Pantry in the Bronx, founder Aleks Nilaj says he’s received hundreds of calls over the last few days from worried New Yorkers looking to see how they can receive food.
He thinks it’s because so many families are worried about SNAP funding during the government shutdown. As of Saturday morning, many New Yorkers who normally receive benefits say they have not received a deposit on their EBT cards.
What You Need To Know
At Open Hand Food Pantry in the Bronx, founder Aleks Nilaj says he’s received hundreds of calls over the last few days from worried New Yorkers looking to see how they can receive food
The Trump administration has been court-ordered to keep the program funded
SNAP serves about one in eight Americans and more than 1.8 million New York City residents
Food pantries across the city have faced increased demand in recent months and say they’re receiving less food from their partners than ever before
The Trump administration has been court-ordered to keep the program funded. About 42 million Americans and 1.8 million New Yorkers rely on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
Many SNAP recipients already use food pantries to fill the gap when benefits are not enough to meet their needs.
The Open Hand Food Pantry distributes fresh fruit and vegetables to New Yorkers on Thursdays and Saturdays.
New Yorkers at the pantry Saturday morning said it helps them make ends meet as grocery prices skyrocket.
Food pantries across the city have faced increased demand in recent months and say they’re receiving less food from their partners than ever before — but they remain committed to never turning anyone away.
Nilaj says hundreds of residents show up every week.
“Thursdays, around 700 to 800 people. And Saturdays are less. But in the past two days, three days, we’ve received so many phone calls. We’re afraid the line will be very big,” he said.
Some people lined up their carts outside the pantry the day before to make sure they had a spot in line when it opened.
One man named Kevin says he was waiting for the food pantry to open because he hasn’t received anything on his EBT card for this month.
“I checked to see if there’s anything in the account and obviously no. It’s kind of a disappointment. You get to a certain age, you retire. I didn’t even expect to have to have these benefits,” he said. Unfortunately, the situation that’s going on in New York and around the country is dismal.”
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to pay SNAP benefits out of a contingency fund.
Trump then posted on Truth Social, saying SNAP benefits “will unfortunately be delayed while states get the money out. If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the court, it will be my honor to provide the funding.”
The pantry has received some funding from donors in the community, and several council members have chipped in funding to help keep it open — but they need a lot more donations and help to pay rent, buy food and run the pantry.
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