{"id":31717,"date":"2025-11-07T11:16:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T11:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/31717\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T11:16:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T11:16:08","slug":"staten-island-womans-plight-touches-hearts-leads-to-outpouring-of-support-during-snap-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/31717\/","title":{"rendered":"Staten Island woman\u2019s plight touches hearts, leads to outpouring of support during SNAP crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. –When Westerleigh resident Patricia Brooks<\/a>, 70, found mounds of groceries on her doorstep after a story in the Advance\/SILive.com detailed her struggle to buy food during the U.S. government shutdown, she was overcome with emotion.<\/p>\n

Brooks is one of 42 million Americans who receive benefits from the federal government\u2019s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. For her, that\u2019s just a little over $200 per month. And with the government shutdown, payments have been cut and delayed, making it nearly impossible to feed both herself and her 9-year-old rescue feline, Sampson.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was overwhelmed, to say the least! I feel so blessed,\u201d said Brooks. \u201cSo many friends have reached out. It\u2019s incredible. My refrigerator is full.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PatriciaWesterleigh resident Patricia Brooks is worried about how she will pay for her groceries amid the government shutdown and delays in SNAP benefits.Scott R. Axelrod | SILive.com\/AdvanceCommunity reaches out<\/p>\n

Immediately following the story\u2019s posting on Nov. 4, Brooks said people dropped off goods on her doorstep, reached out to her via Facebook, and she even received Amazon Fresh deliveries with a bevy of goods, from pasta and rice, to fish and fruit, including her favorite — oranges.<\/p>\n

Rochester resident Jeremy Zenkar went so far to set up a GoFundMe<\/a> for Brooks, which by Thursday had raised over $1,000. He admitted he never met Brooks, but after seeing the story on Reddit, he remembered her being a frequent guest on the Opie and Anthony show 20 years ago.<\/p>\n

\"Sampson\"Patricia Brooks struggles to feed her 9-year-old rescue feline, Sampson.Courtesy of Patricia Brooks<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to say that Patty is a person who\u2019s done it right by societal norms. She worked hard all her life, retired and did the right thing. There\u2019s a stigma behind people who are on SNAP benefits and [her situation] goes to show you that it\u2019s a wide range of people on SNAP who are doing what they can just to survive and live their lives,\u201d said Zenkar.<\/p>\n

He was especially touched by Brooks\u2019 story since he was once in her situation. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a person who grew up with a single mom who went to school and was working several jobs. We were on food assistance when I was younger. So I know what it\u2019s like… I figure, if I can help someone out, then I will,\u201d Zenkar added.<\/p>\n

Brooks said she was alerted to the GoFundMe <\/a>through a friend on Facebook.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very surprised when I found out,\u201d she said. \u201cAll the generosity is so beautiful and nice…it\u2019s so nice for people to care about each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some Islanders reached out to the Advance\/SILive.com to offer assistance to Brooks.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatty is an example of what so many people are dealing with now with the government shutdown,\u201d said Annette Angiuli, who was a classmate of Brooks at the former St. Peter\u2019s Girls High School. \u201cPatty has been a citizen of our community for a very long time, and she\u2019s a strong willed example of people who need help. Many of her St. Peter\u2019s classmates have risen to the occasion to help her.\u201d<\/p>\n

A St. George resident who donated money via the GoFundMe said: \u201cKnowing someone has worked hard in their life and now in retirement is going hungry is sad, and I also like to help animals, especially cats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another Islander who contacted the Advance\/SIlive.com said she saw Brooks\u2019 story and felt she wanted to help a neighbor in need.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to help because her story could be any one of us. There are so many people in our community who have a hard time feeding themselves, their families and pets on a regular basis. It\u2019s a shame,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In addition to donations and people reaching out in the community, other media outlets who saw the SILive.com story reached out to Brooks, she said.<\/p>\n

Brooks\u2019 situation<\/p>\n

After working her whole life in fast food and chain shops, including Starbucks and McDonald\u2019s, Brooks retired eight years ago. She lives on her $1,087 Social Security benefits, which after the rent share for her Section 8 apartment — a federal housing assistance program — and bills, leaves her with only about $20 per month.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t cut it, so she relies on SNAP to survive.<\/p>\n

Each month, Brooks is careful she doesn\u2019t run out of the necessities — milk, bread and butter. But with the government shutdown and reduced and delayed SNAP benefits, she\u2019s not sure she\u2019ll even have those food items this month.<\/p>\n

SNAP delays<\/p>\n

The Trump administration had announced earlier this week that it would only partially fund SNAP following court rulings mandating its continuation, despite an earlier plan by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to halt payments due to the government shutdown, the Associated Press<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

However, late Thursday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration \u201cto find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November,\u201d reported the Associated Press.<\/a> The Trump administration quickly appealed the decision.<\/p>\n

The ruling gave the Trump\u2019 administration until Friday to make SNAP payments to all recipients. However, it\u2019s unlikely the 42 million Americans \u2014 about one in eight \u2014 will receive the money on their debit cards that quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a tough situation, you know. And I think it\u2019s totally unfair… the government shutdown is affecting people, human beings … when you run out of butter, milk and eggs, that\u2019s hard to get in a pantry,\u201d said Brooks.<\/p>\n

The uncertainty and SNAP delays leave people like Brooks wondering where their next meal may come from. Or worse, fearing they will go hungry.<\/p>\n

In addition to herself, Brooks struggles to feed her cat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a friend who orders cat food once in a while, and she sends some my way. If I make a piece of fish, I\u2019ll share a little bit with him. He gets this treat and he loves it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Brooks spends 22 hours per week volunteering at Project Hospitality\u2019s food pantry. This allows Brooks some social time, and to give back to the community that has been good to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been blessed a few times in my life. I want to bless others; I like helping people. Volunteering is a great way to do it, you know. Plus, it gives me a social experience. It gets me out of the house,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Many Staten Islanders are food insecure<\/p>\n

Food insecurity <\/a>and the negative health outcomes that stem from an innutritious diet are issues that impact thousands in all corners of the borough, but as is often the case, those struggling financially are disproportionately impacted.<\/p>\n

The Staten Island Advance\/SILive.com analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau 2022 American Community Survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s (CDC) 2023 PLACES: Local Data for Better Health finding that areas where a higher percentage of residents rely on government assistance to afford food have higher rates of various health conditions that stem from poor diet.<\/p>\n

Data from Staten Island reveals a clear correlation between economic hardship and chronic health conditions: ZIP codes with higher percentages of residents receiving SNAP benefits tend to have elevated rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure.<\/p>\n

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. –When Westerleigh resident Patricia Brooks, 70, found mounds of groceries on her doorstep after a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31718,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-31717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}