KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories about government accountability. She checked in with families who shared their voice in a previous story about SNAP benefits amid the government shutdown. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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The political standoff at the U.S. Capitol shows no end in sight as the government shutdown crept into its 28th day on Tuesday.
Saturday, November 1, is the deadline to fund SNAP food stamp benefits.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill spoke out about the risk for millions of people to go without the benefits in a few days.
"We're now heading into a SNAP crisis," Democratic New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries said. "Donald Trump has decided that he wants to force millions of Americans, including possibly 16 million children, to experience hunger."
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly joined Democratic leaders of 24 other states suing the United States Agriculture Department (USDA). The lawsuit alleges that the USDA is required to keep providing funds and called on the court to force the USDA to use the emergency funds.
"I will not stand here and allow anyone to say that this is the Republicans fault because the USDA has a couple of billion dollars sitting in a contingency fund for disaster relief when this is a $9.2 billion question," Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said. "You vote yes on a continuing resolution, the government opens and these benefits will flow."
As the finger pointing continues, that isn't a luxury in the Kansas City metro area. The government shutdown battle may be happening 1,000 miles away, but the impact is felt here.
Tens of thousands of people rely on the SNAP benefits to fill the gap their paycheck can't cover, including moms trying to make sure their kids don't go to bed hungry.
About 900,000 people in Kansas and Missouri are preparing to not receive their SNAP benefits.
In the week since the USDA's announcement, food pantries like Harvesters have been busier than ever. The chief resource officer for Harvesters explained it would take $19 million to make up for SNAP benefits just in Jackson County, Missouri.
"For every one meal that Harvesters provides, SNAP provides nine," Elizabeth Keever, the chief resource officer for Harvesters, said. "We're in a really challenging time where the charitable food system and food banks like Harvesters were never designed to fully accommodate for what SNAP does."
When KSHB 41 News reporter Isabella Ledonne spoke with Kansas City mom Jessica Lovett last week, she held onto hope the government would reopen and SNAP benefits would be delivered for November.
"I don't know how I'm going to feed my kids," Lovett said last week.
That uncertainty is now turned into determination for the sake of her family.
"What keeps me strong is every morning I get to wake up and I see my beautiful babies," Lovett said. "That motivates me to do whatever I have to do to make sure that every need of theirs is met."
Like most moms, Lovett explained she's making it work and preparing for her SNAP benefits to go away.
"Using October's benefits that I had to store up on non-perishable items; things that can go a long way," Lovett said. "[My living community] is coming together and trying to help each other out in this hard time. I'm just trying to get creative with what we do have. People are going to do what they have to do to be able to feed their kids."
For all the need in the Kansas City community, food pantries have also seen many people and businesses stepping up.
"We've had companies who would have otherwise spent money on a corporate retreat and decided to just donate the money instead and allow us to purchase food," Keever said. "It feels like just as many people who are calling and asking for help are also calling and asking how they can help. It just really shows that here in the Kansas City metro, we look out for one another."
With a combination of rising food insecurity, federal furloughs and SNAP benefits not extending to November, that need is expected to only get worse next week.
"It's not just people that are 'lowlifes,' or people that are milking the system that are affected," Lovett said. "It's people that are putting in the work, it's people that do even have jobs. We'll figure it out, but it's sad."
Harvesters is accepting donations and volunteers at its food pantries in the metro. A list of food resources can be found here.
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