What to expect from the government shutdown — and action you can take to help end it

Even before the shutdown, more than 607,000 people in our region were unsure where their next meal might come from.  

That's one out of every seven people we run into at the grocery store, at school drop-off, or out pumping gas It’s also the highest level of hunger we’ve seen in a generation — and it’s still climbing.

Every week, we see more families turn to our network for help. These are working families; these are neighbors who are doing everything right. Still, too many people are coming up short as the cost of housing, groceries, and gas continues to outpace what paychecks can cover.

As the shutdown moves into its second month, TSA officers and their families are being pulled into that same stark reality — and they need our help.  

Cuts to lifelines like SNAP and Medicaid passed this summer are already straining families who were barely making ends meet and rolling them back is critical to preventing an even deeper hunger crisis. While no one wants a long-term shutdown that creates uncertainty for thousands of families, the real crisis is the ongoing assault on programs that have long protected children, seniors, veterans, and working families. We urge congressional leaders to rescind these cuts immediately and restore full funding to SNAP and Medicaid.

– Amy Beros Food Bank President & CEO

TSA officers continue to show up for work, keeping all of us safe as we travel — without knowing when their next paycheck will arrive.

They're keeping us all safe at airports while worrying about their own security and ability to put food on the table. And as this shutdown stretches on, those pressures compound.  

We’re hearing from families who are making incredibly difficult choices — between rent and groceries, between utilities and transportation. And in those impossible scenarios, when a paycheck disappears, food is often the first thing families cut — not because it’s optional, but because it’s the most flexible bill they have. For many TSA officers, this is new territory. Some are seeking help for the first time. Others are still recovering from past disruptions.

It takes real courage to ask for help. Especially when you’re used to being the one others depend on.

That’s why our response has to meet both the urgency of the moment and the dignity every family deserves. 

If you’re struggling right now, know that you are not alone, and this is exactly why the Food Bank exists. We are here for you. Our network is here for you. And we will continue to show up for as long as this moment requires.

– Amy Beros

None of this is happening in a vacuum. Need is rising rapidly across our region — and we’re facing reductions in federal food supplies and ongoing uncertainty in key support programs.

We are being asked to do more at a time when we have less. And that is a challenging place for any hunger relief organization to be.

That’s why community support is so critical right now.

• Donations help us purchase food and keep shelves stocked.  
• Volunteers make it possible to move that food quickly into communities.
• Advocacy matters — because ultimately, ending this shutdown and strengthening the safety net requires action at every level.

Food banks are built for crises like this — but we are not meant to carry them alone.

This is a moment for all of us — as a community — to decide how we show up. And what we see, time and again, is that when our neighbors are in need, this community steps forward.

At our best, we don’t let people fall through the cracks — we close the gaps together. That’s what we’re doing here. That’s what we’ll continue to do. And that’s what it will take to ensure that every family — including those who are working to keep us safe — has access to the food they need.