How Families Are Coping with SNAP Cuts During the Shutdown

Homeless and Dreaming of FoodWesley Peake Jr., 51, Tucson, Ariz.

Around noon on Sunday, Wesley Peake Jr. sat on his wheeled walker outside a grocery store. For breakfast, he ate crackers and cheese, and now, with his hunger slowly building, his mind conjured images of his favorite foods. Chicken, yogurt, bananas.

But Mr. Peake, who is homeless, had no money. And his monthly SNAP benefit, $57, may not come as usual on Nov. 8.

The food that SNAP provides usually lasts him about four days. That is a big help because it means fewer trips to a soup kitchen. His osteoporosis has weakened his bones. “I can’t walk that well,” he said, “because my hip sockets are deteriorating.”

He sits outside the grocery store, hoping that passers-by will drop some change in his hands. These days he is reluctant to ask people outright for help. They, too, may be losing SNAP.

Food Is Low, and the Car Needs GasDeana Pearson, 61, Chouteau, Okla.

The grocery store is 12 miles from Deana Pearson’s trailer. The closest food bank is 10 miles away; the closest gas station is nine.

Which trip is worth the gas money?

Ms. Pearson, whose jewelry business closed during the coronavirus pandemic, is running low on food. Without her usual SNAP payment, around $287, she must rely on what she has left. On Tuesday, that was $1.18.

A gallon of gas is $2.50.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” she said. “I’m hoping that maybe someone will give me a ride to the food bank.”