A pallet of food spins automatically on the whirring metal platform, and plastic wrap is applied by the automatic stretch wrap machine, operated by Warehouse team member Dominik Major.
These items were ordered by a food pantry for their clients.
Recently, the federal government reopened and is funded through January 30th. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be funded once again, through September.
But clients — recipients of food pantry items — are still nervous, said Brittney Hicks with St. Peter's UCC out in Wadesville.
“'Am I going to get that food? What happens if I don't get that food,'” Hicks said. “Just because they reopened, you're gonna face, maybe, what another shutdown in January — there's a possibility. They want to make sure that there's a safe spot where they can come and still guarantee some type of food and things that they need, and an outlet to go to.”
Her organization is at the loading dock of the food bank filling their car with items for both children and the elderly.
This food will be frozen until the December pantry opening.
Partner organizations such as these are seeing a 20-percent increase in demand for services over 2024 — which is felt by workers Cheyenne Kasey, agency dock lead at the food bank.
She’s moving pallets of food via fork lift.
“We've had an increase in the pantries,” she said. “I've definitely seen it of families and individuals needing and requiring food.”
Food Bank Director Zac Heronemus said they still have a lot of clients that were impacted by the disruption in SNAP, and some won’t receive full benefits.
“So we still know that there's going to be a need out there,” he said. “So we're focused on rebuilding and replenishing the inventory throughout our response system to ensure that, we make up for those missed meals, we get back to a level that can maintain what we see on a normal day to day basis.”
His agency also experienced a lag in getting that inventory during the SNAP disruption — like many of the 240 food banks across the country.
While funding is in place through September, the confidence that the federal government will follow through and keep funding SNAP has been shaken.
This is due to SNAP funding being cut off despite federal judges ordering the Trump administration to fully fund the program — and the program being disrupted at all.
“Let's just hope that those folks responsible for governing keep in mind our neighbors that are facing hunger,” Heronemus said.
In 2024 the Tri-State Food Bank did 16 million pounds of distribution.
While SNAP funds are returning to EBT cards, fewer will quality. As of this month there are tighter work requirements and fewer exceptions for them as included in the "Big Beautiful Bill" signed into law this summer.
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