What We Do Now Matters: Caring for Each Other Through the SNAP Crisis
I’m writing this on November 3, 2025. The U.S. government remains shut down as Congress fails to agree on a budget. One major point of debate is whether to let tax credits expire that help low- and middle-income families afford health insurance.
In the midst of this standoff, millions of people are being used as political leverage. SNAP — our country’s most extensive anti-hunger program and one that 1 in 8 Americans rely on — is caught in the middle. The administration initially refused to release funds for SNAP. Although a court ruling has now compelled them to partially restore it, there is no clear timeline for when benefits will actually reach families.
This means:
Nearly 16 million children may not have stable access to food this month.
7.8 million older adults may have to choose between groceries, heat, or medicine.
Households already stretched thin are preparing to go without.
A lot of people in my life have been asking: What can we do? So I put together ways to help — both right now and for the long haul.
1. Help with Immediate Needs
Why this matters: Food pantries, mutual aid groups, and community fridges are bracing for increased demand. Getting support to them quickly helps reduce fear and keeps families fed.
Ways to help:
Drop off shelf-stable food and fresh produce at a local community fridge, little free pantry, or mutual aid group. (Check their website or social media for what kinds of food are best)
Donate money to your local food pantry (cash stretches farther than canned goods).
Volunteer your time — sorting, distributing, cooking, delivering, or doing behind-the-scenes support.
A quick note: Many groups are small and stretched thin. They may not respond right away. Be patient — and know that your help will still be needed even after SNAP is restored.
If, like me, you are in the Syracuse area, here are great places to start:
Syracuse Community Fridge – 24/7, no-barrier food access.
Interfaith Community Collective – The largest pantry in Syracuse.
CNY Blessing Box Project – Focused on immigrant and refugee families facing amplified harm.
Syracuse DSA – Fundraising to distribute grocery gift cards to families who have lost SNAP.
2. Support SNAP and Anti-Poverty Advocacy
Meeting immediate needs is essential — but we must also change the systems that create these crises. SNAP was already cut before the shutdown, and current proposals would cut it further. Poverty is not an individual failure. It is a policy choice.
If you’re unsure where to plug in:
Reflect on what matters most to you: food security, housing, racial justice, universal basic income, disability justice, environmental justice — all can be part of anti-poverty work.
Search for a local or national advocacy group in that area.
Start with one or two small steps:
Sign up for their newsletter.
Respond to action alerts.
Attend one meeting.
Donate what you can.
Call your representatives and tell them why this matters.
If you want to directly support SNAP advocacy, here are national groups I follow:
3. Build Local Food Resilience and Food Sovereignty
Part of why this crisis is so destabilizing is that many communities already lack strong, accessible food systems. SNAP cuts can lead to grocery stores closing in low-income neighborhoods, deepening the problem.
Long-term resilience looks like:
Strong regional agriculture.
Community governance.
Local infrastructure (like accessible grocery stores).
Robust systems for dignified community support.
How to begin:
Volunteer consistently with a group that resonates with you.
Join your local Food Policy Council.
Support local farmers and regional food producers.
In Syracuse, these organizations are building long-term resilience:
Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance (SOFSA) – Local advocacy, capacity building, and regional food systems planning.
Salt City Harvest Farm – Connecting New Americans with land to grow food, culture, and community.
Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now (FAHNN) – Bringing a grocery store back to the Valley and investing in neighborhood health and resilience.
Final Note
You don’t have to do everything. But every one of us can do something.
This is not only about meeting hunger in a crisis. It is about joining the collective work of ensuring that everyone has the right to nourishing food, dignity, and stability.
—
Elise is a food justice organizer, consultant, and neighbor living in Onondaga County, NY. She has spent more than a decade working alongside food rescue networks, regional farms, food pantries, and community coalitions to strengthen access to nourishing food across New York and New England. As the founder of BananaBox Consulting, she partners with organizations to build collaborative programs, grow community-led leadership, and design systems rooted in dignity. Elise believes that food is a human right and that communities already have the wisdom and capacity to care for one another — we just need to make space for it.
