Pittsburgh-area residents, food banks bracing for loss of SNAP benefits due to government shutdown

The government shutdown is continuing to impact families in the Pittsburgh region. SNAP recipients will not get the benefits slated to be doled out next month.

According to the state Department of Human Services, Fayette County has the second-highest percentage of residents getting SNAP benefits in the state. Greene County is sixth-highest on that list.

One organization in McCandless, North Hills Community Outreach, acknowledged the demand they’re expecting in the weeks ahead.

“We serve hundreds of people each month,” said Brenda Hill, director of development and communications for North Hills Community Outreach. “Anywhere from 200 to 600 families each month.”

Getting to that point takes a village.

“We have a great community that takes very good care of us and provides us with a lot of donations for our food pantries,” Hill said.

As SNAP recipients prepare for a world without their benefits because of the shutdown, many of them may start turning to places like North Hills Community Outreach.

“We are preparing right now for the additional people that we may see come through our doors,” Hill said.

Hill explained that the preparations include taking inventory of what the organization has, along with making sure it has enough items to provide for people in need.

Some of those items include pasta, soups, and peanut butter. The preparation also means outreach.

“It also means reaching out to our community and reminding them that now is the time to step up with additional donations.”

McCandless police are helping with a food drive, too. It started on Monday, with donations being accepted until Friday, Nov. 14, all benefitting North Hills Community Outreach.

“Partnerships like this are extremely important and couldn’t be more timely right now,” Hill said.

Hill says November is one of the organization’s biggest months.

“Sometimes, even as many as 800 families will come through our doors,” she said.

Couple that with people losing benefits, and Hill said that number could go to over 1,000. This is why the organization is again relying on its village to help.

“That’s where NHCO comes in, to be here to prop those folks up,” Hill said.