SNAP suspension ripples through Burke County

Across the country, families are scrambling to prepare for the suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by turning to food pantries for assistance.

Burke County is no outlier. With nearly 11,000 SNAP recipients in the county — that’s 5,600 households — the Department of Social Services (DSS) said all will be affected.

“Considering that I don’t have a car or a job at the moment — because I’m with two kids, it’s going to affect me severely,” SNAP recipient Jessica Perryman said between questions from her children in the background.

Perryman learned of the delay through an app that she uses to access her benefits. As of now, she’s unable to get to food banks due to a lack of transportation.

“I think they should at least send out some [assistance] — half or little-by-little or something instead of a complete stop,” she said. “$50 — $50 can get you a couple of meals if people know how to use it.”

As of Thursday, Burke County DSS Director Korey Fisher-Wellman did not have information from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services or the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding timelines or expected resumption of SNAP benefits.

“We understand how concerning this situation is for families who rely on these benefits, and we want to assure the community that we are monitoring the situation closely,” Fisher-Wellman said. “As soon as the state provides updated information or a timeline, we will share that immediately with our clients and the public.”

DSS will contact families via text messages sent to the phone number on their benefits case. They suggested that affected families review their information on those platforms associated with their SNAP benefits and ensure the contact information is correct.

“Our agency is working closely with local food pantries, churches, and community partners to make sure families have access to food and essential resources during this interruption in SNAP benefits,” Fisher-Wellman said. “We’re encouraging households who need immediate food assistance to reach out to their local food pantry or contact our DSS office, where staff can help connect them with available community resources.”

Fisher-Wellman explained that many local pantries have increased their hours and supply availability to assist affected families in their time of need.

However, the increase in supplies is reliant on resource availability. Burke United Christian Ministries (BUCM) Executive Director Alice Horton said her team gives boxes of food out on Mondays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., but max out at about 75 families per day.

“That’s when we do regular distribution,” Horton said. “We generally run out early, but we’ll do as many cars as we can. There shouldn’t be more than two families in a car, because we can’t put that amount of boxes in someone’s vehicle.”

Horton said she has “absolutely” seen an influx of people already.

“It’s not about who we’re seeing,” she said. “What we are seeing is the amount of people we’re having to turn away.”

Horton explained that BUCM usually receives products from Second Harvest and the USDA as well as local retailers. They also receive food from donations, but many times people donate expired food.

“We get donations all the time,” she said. “But if it’s inedible, we spend more time going through the items to make sure that there’s something that we can put together to actually serve the public.”

One of the biggest issues with donations, she explained, is the tendency to donate portions of a meal but not all the ingredients, meaning families have to go out and try to gather the other products. Think about donating spaghetti sauce, but no noodles. Or hamburger helper with no meat or milk — and so on. This leaves them in the same boat as when they arrived.

Horton said that they need both dollars to buy materials and people to sort through food, especially with the increase in families. While the BUCM currently operates on a two-day week, by the end of the month, the new building is expected to be fully operational at a full five days — “God willing,” said Horton.

While she fears the gap is widening between policy makers who caused the issue and the people on the ground, she thinks the greatest thing people can do now is check on their neighbors and help where available.

“People are maxed out on just trying to pay the rent and now we have taken away the other benefits for people,” Horton said. “I don’t know where they’re supposed to turn.”

For affected families like Perryman’s, it boils down to taking it one day at a time.

“For people that have kids like in my situation, it’s difficult,” Perryman said. “But to be angry about it is not going to get me anywhere. It’s not going to make them come.”

BUCM distributes food boxes and daily meals at 576 E. Fleming Drive in Morganton. The DSS says information about food resources and assistance programs can be found at nc211.org or by calling 211. The service will connect people with “local food pantries, meal programs, and other community supports in their area.”