Government Shutdown Increases Hunger in the Carolinas
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Carolinians Face Hunger While SNAP Benefits are not Issued On Time
Even before the shutdown, food banks have been experiencing high levels of need, especially in areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene. Many food banks across the Carolinas are seeing significant and steady increases in demand, even compared to this time last year.
1 in 7 people in the Carolinas, including 1 in 5 children, live in food-insecure households, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
If the federal government does not find a way to fund SNAP by November 1, Feeding the Carolinas expects to see a sharp rise in hunger across the state.
Even with robust support, food banks can provide only a fraction of the nutritional assistance that federal programs like SNAP provide. For every meal that a food bank provides to neighbors experiencing hunger, SNAP provides nine.
Cuts to federal and state food programs throughout 2025 have harmed food banks’ ability to meet this rising demand. As need rises, our food banks will continue to show up for their communities, but meeting this challenge requires all of us pulling together.
We are calling on Congress to come together to end the shutdown, and to fully fund Food and Nutrition Programs that ensure our neighbors can feed their families.