As the federal shutdown enters its fifth week, food assistance benefits hang in the balance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture originally said it would stop issuing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits starting on Nov. 1. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay benefits out of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s contingency fund, but the administration said it only plans to fulfill about half of benefits, and those funds will likely be delayed.
That will affect 700,000 Wisconsinites, including 65,000 in Dane County, who receive the benefits through Wisconsin’s FoodShare program. Gov. Tony Evers has declared a state of emergency and directed state agencies to do whatever they can to address the stoppage.
In Madison, here’s what you need to know if you are seeking food assistance help. And what to know if you would like to help others.
Where To Get Food Assistance Help
Public Health Madison & Dane County has assembled this list of food pantries throughout the Madison area, including nonprofits like the Goodman Community Center and local churches. To find a pantry near you, call 211, text your zip code to 898211, or visit 211now.org.
Some of the pantries require that you live in the pantry’s designated zip code, so check out the requirements ahead of time. You may also need to provide a photo ID for all adults in the household and your household income to determine eligibility.
There are other nutrition programs that can help out as well. The Senior Food Program provides in-home pay-what-you-can meals for adults 60 and over. Many working families qualify for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program to provide both food and nutritional support. And parents can apply for free and reduced price breakfasts and lunches for their kids through their schools.
Madison and Dane County offer a “Double Dollars” program where recipients can get a dollar-for-dollar match on food stamps if they spend them at a local farmers’ market. Willy Street Co-op also participates in Double Dollars, and announced it would temporarily double its match, so SNAP recipients will get up to a $40 match for every $20 they spend.
Also, several Madison restaurants are offering free or pay-what-you-can meals during the federal shutdown, including Baked Wings, Ollie’s, and Just Veggiez.
How You Can Help Others
Use that 211now.org website to find food pantries in your area that are taking donations. Different food pantries are looking for different kinds of food donations right now to meet their needs. Food pantries generally prefer donations of cash rather than food, because they know what they already have in their inventory and can buy high-value food using the cash donations.
Food pantries in the area that could use help include River Food Pantry, Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, St. Vincent de Paul’s Food Bank, the Fritz Food Pantry at Goodman Community Center, WayForward Resources and Badger Prairie Needs Network in Verona.
With those pantries already seeing a sharp increase in demand even before the federal shutdown, they can also use volunteers to help them distribute food to recipients.
This new mutual aid program was started by volunteers as a way to directly help out other residents. Those in need fill out a form stating what they need (and in what form they need it, whether it’s groceries or money), and are matched with neighbors who can provide that help.
Each year, the Goodman Community Center distributes free full Thanksgiving dinners to 4,000 needy families in Dane County. You can donate food or money, volunteer to help distribute baskets, or sponsor a food drive yourself.
