Do you need food assistance?
Information on food pantries, community meals and more is available by calling 211 or visiting www.rcjfs.net/food-resources.
MANSFIELD — Richland County residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should see their full November benefits come through this week — if they haven’t already.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) announced Friday that it was working to complete the distribution of full November SNAP benefits “by mid-next week.”
“According to ODJFS, full November allotments will be issued this week with possibly 95 percent of issuances being distributed by Wednesday,” said Lori Bedson, director of Richland County Jobs and Family Services.
Enrollees in the SNAP program weathered a period of paused benefits and uncertainty this month after benefits were frozen on Nov. 1 due to a federal government shutdown.
More than 8,400 households in Richland County were enrolled in SNAP as of Nov 1. The federal assistance program, formerly known as food stamps, provides financial assistance to low-income households through electronic benefit cards.
The program is administered through Richland County Jobs and Family Services (RCJFS).
Prior to the government reopening on Nov. 13, federal courts and the president issued conflicting rulings and statements about whether a portion of SNAP funding could be allocated before the government reopened.
As a result, some Ohioans received partial SNAP payments while the government was still shut down.
According to the ODJFS website, households that received partial payments will receive the rest of their November payment this week. Households that didn’t receive partial payments will receive their full November allocation.
SNAP distribution is expected to return to normal in December.
“Because of the number of recipients receiving benefits, it could take a couple of days to process and disburse those benefits,” a press release stated.
“Recipients will receive their benefits (the week of November 17) regardless of their usual issuance date, which normally runs through the 20th of each month.”
About 15 percent of Richland County households enrolled in SNAP program
According to Bedson, there were 8,420 Richland County households enrolled in the SNAP program as of Oct. 31. Those households were set to receive a collective $2,760,644 in grocery benefits on Nov. 1.
Bedson said the freeze in funding impacted a wide variety of people.
“We have families with SNAP benefits,” she said. “They may be employed, so the SNAP benefits may be a supplement to their income.
“We also have elderly individuals who may be receiving SNAP benefits in addition to Social Security.”
Bedson said the amount a SNAP recipient receives each month is determined by their income and the number of people in their household.
According to the most recent data from the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, almost 40% of Richland County residents benefitting from SNAP are children.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 15.2% of Richland County households receive SNAP benefits.
The amount a household receives depends on their income and number of people in the home. The average monthly SNAP benefit per person is about $190, according to Gov. Mike DeWine’s office.
Food banks continue to serve as a lifeline
Jodanna Anderson has been coming to the food pantry at Grace Episcopal Church for years. A single mother, she’s relied on SNAP and the pantry to feed her own kids. But she’s also a regular volunteer.
“I love working here. I love helping people,” she said while standing next to boxes of frozen meat during a distribution day in October.
Anderson was one of several volunteers who said the final distribution before the SNAP freeze felt busier than normal. Church staff asked helpers to stay around an extra hour in anticipation of a larger crowd.
“It’s been crazy,” Anderson said. “But that’s what we’re here for, for the people that need help.”
Crystal Carpenter’s husband died last year. She lives in a rural part of Richland County and doesn’t have a car.
She came to the pantry with a neighbor, who gave her a ride.
Carpenter teared up as she talked about the pause in SNAP benefits. She said there are people who take advantage of the SNAP program, but there are also many who couldn’t survive without it — like her and her son.
“We rely on food stamps every month. I don’t have a job or transportation. I lost my home last year,” she said. “I’m scared to death, because without (SNAP), my son doesn’t have a Thanksgiving.
“At least we can get something here,” she said, referring to the Grace Episcopal Food Pantry. “This place has been a godsend.”
The Rev. Daniel Orr described food pantry clients as people of amazing resilience, many weathering health struggles and varying degrees of loss.
“There’s grandmothers, there’s people working two jobs with kids,” he said. “We have quite a few foster families and they’ll have 10 or 11 people in the house that they’re feeding.”
Orr said food pantries alone can’t meet the needs of the hungry.
Feeding America, a network of food banks that supplies most pantries in the area, estimates that for every one meal it provides, SNAP provides nine.
How you can help
While the shutdown is over, food pantries are still working to support people in need.
“We’re going to be scrambling to find out if we can get enough turkeys for Thanksgiving for folks who have signed up,” said Major Bob Bender with the Salvation Army Mansfield Corps.
“Our pantry’s a little bit low, but we’re going to continue doing what we always do … I think God’s going to provide for us to help those who need the help.”
Community members who want to support those in need can donate food or funds to local pantries. They can also volunteer at pantries or free meal distributions.
Orr encouraged residents to go even further by getting to know their neighbors and helping spread the word about local resources.
“We need neighbors to talk to neighbors,” he said.