Facing the November SNAP Emergency and Rallying Together

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We’ve learned this week that SNAP benefits for November will not be paid out. In Johnson County, that represents approximately $1.7 million in grocery support for ~10,000 people.

Before this emergency, our pantry and meal-site partners were already serving ~11,000 individuals per month, most of whom were not receiving SNAP benefits. That means we expect to see a meaningful influx of new pantry visitors, people who’ve not relied on emergency food relief in the past.

  • While the governor has announced $1 million in support for food banks across the state, that amount wouldn’t even meet the need in Johnson County alone. 
  • We’re also awaiting federal rulings on the release of SNAP funds, which we hope will shorten the crisis. 
  • Yet, before the government shutdown we were already bracing for an increase in need because the budget bill put additional limits on SNAP eligibility resulting in disenrollment for many SNAP participants starting November 1. No matter what happens, we will be responding to an increase in food needs for our neighbors.   

The burden remains on us, local partners, volunteers, and funders to respond.

How You Can Help Right Now: Four Ways to Make Impact

Donate funds: Donate to T2T to support our increased coordination and transportation efforts, or help with collective grocery purchasing for the Food Access Network by donating here. Cash gifts translate into immediate response and additional purchasing power for proteins and shelf-stable essentials. Every dollar helps stretch further when spent in bulk by the network.

Volunteer & logistics: We are mobilizing mass food drives and we’ve offered our van-fleet and drivers to help move food. If you have time this month, join us to help pick up or deliver food to pantries. Email volunteer@table2table.org to sign up.

Host or contribute to a food drive: Consider organizing a food drive. We’re working with the Food Access Network and United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties to coordinate food drives that will benefit 15+ pantries and meal sites across the county. Please email food@unitedwayjwc.org  if your business, faith group, or organization wants to host one, United Way will provide:

  • A current list of most-needed items
  • Drop-off locations or connections to transport help
  • Guidance to make sure your drive meets real needs

Share on social media and in your sphere: Raise awareness that this isn’t a distant problem, it’s here in Johnson County now. Encourage your networks to donate, volunteer or simply refer someone in need to a local pantry. Refer people looking for food and looking to help provide food to https://www.unitedwayjwc.org/food-access. When we widen the circle of attention, we widen the circle of support.

More about what Table to Table Is Doing: Data-Driven, Rapid Response

At Table to Table we believe that in a crisis, the same guiding principles that keep us effective day-to-day still hold true: data-driven allocations, strong relationships, and nimble operations. That approach is powering our response now. We’re allocating as many food resources as possible to more than 18 pantries and meal sites across Johnson County.

  • We’ll check in weekly with partner agencies to monitor the situation on the ground and adjust as needed.
  • We participated in an emergency meeting of the local Food Access Network—a coalition of emergency hunger relief organizations—to coordinate strategy, messaging, and shared resourcing.
  • We joined the local Johnson County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) led by United Way of Johnson County + county emergency management, to help coordinate public messaging and mobilize mass food-drives and transportation logistics.
  • The Food Access Network was awarded $25,000 from the Community Foundation of Johnson County Impact Grant to go toward collective food purchasing. We received this just in time for the Network to make a large wholesale purchase, which maximizes the buying power of every dollar.

Looking Ahead, Stronger Together

In moments like this we are reminded that abundance and hunger coexist—not because of individual failings, but because of system gaps. At Table to Table we see this as an opportunity to reinforce our network, deepen partnerships, and be the backbone resource for the many organizations stepping up.

Thanks for being part of this community. Thank you for standing with your neighbors. We’ll keep reporting back with updates on the response and how you can plug in.

With gratitude and resolve,

The Team at Table to Table