Nearly 100,000 individuals and families in Tarrant County are set to lose food stamp benefits starting Nov. 1, leaving food pantries and other community services preparing for an increase in need.
The program’s temporary pause is due to the federal government shutdown, which has lasted 28 days as of Oct. 28. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, also known as food stamps, helps low-income families purchase groceries.
Despite best efforts, the Tarrant Area Food Bank won’t be able to keep up with demand if the shutdown goes deep into November, CEO Julie Butner said.
“We will never make up for that gap,” Butner said. “And there’s no foundation., There’s no local government entity. There’s no private millionaire that can offset what the federal government does with our taxpayer dollars to help feed people who are living paycheck to paycheck.”
The Department of Agriculture, which runs SNAP, notified state officials that the program would no longer receive funding if the shutdown continued past Oct. 27. A banner on the agency’s website states “the well has run dry.”
Once the program runs out of money, nearly 42 million people nationwide will be affected, including 3.5 million in Texas.
A pause in SNAP benefits will lead many to seek assistance from neighborhood food pantries, pay-as-you-can restaurants and nonprofit services. Tarrant County organizations working in food assistance expect demand surges into November.
Starting on Nov. 1, 11,000 people within the Tarrant Area Food Bank region eligible for SNAP will lose access every day, Butner said. Through its partners, the nonprofit provides a million meals weekly in its 13-county service area.
By Thanksgiving, about 300,000 people in the region eligible for SNAP will no longer have access to the program, Butner said.
First Street Mission and 4Saints Episcopal Food Pantry are two of Tarrant Area Food Bank’s more than 500 partners.
Bernie Scheffler, director at First Street Mission, expects a 10% increase in demand next month. He notes this year has not been easy for the nonprofit — which provides food, formula and clothing — but he’s confident they will keep food on shelves.
“Our mindset doesn’t change too much. To some degree over the past few years, we’re used to disruptions,” Scheffler said.
The largest food pantry in the East Lancaster area, 4Saints Episcopal Food Pantry, also does not expect a shortage of resources next month.
Ashley Blain, the executive director of the organization, said 4Saints has had a plan in place for disruptions since “this administration took seat.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has focused on tightening government spending, particularly to cut “waste, fraud and abuse.” Many nonprofits have seen a loss related to the dialback of federal dollars.
Local resources depleted
By the end of November, suspended purchasing power through food stamps will lead to a $2 million loss of purchasing power daily in Tarrant Area Food Bank’s service area.
“It’s cataclysmic for those neighbors who depend on that food,” Butner said.
In a memo sent to partners, which was obtained by the Report, Tarrant Area Food Bank officials noted that orders for USDA commodities have been placed through January. The nonprofit does not expect interruptions in those deliveries.
The memo detailed how Tarrant Area Food Bank is coordinating with North Texas Food Bank, Feeding Texas and Feeding America “to track needs and align resources.”
How you can help
Food banks and pantries are not the only resources that lend support to those in need.
Meals On Wheels of Tarrant County officials said they expect their shelf-stable pantry will be affected by the SNAP pause. The organization, which provides meals to the elderly, disabled and homebound, posted an Amazon Wish List yesterday, asking the community for help.
H-E-B donated $5 million to food banks across the state and $1 million to Meals On Wheels Texas, grocery store representatives announced this weekend.
A Fort Worth franchise of Chicken Salad Chick will provide any kid a free kids meal until SNAP benefits are restored, according to a Tuesday announcement.
State of SNAP
During the ongoing shutdown, the Department of Agriculture’s site places blame on Senate Democrats for blocking resolutions to reopen the government.
As of Oct. 28, Senate Democrats blocked the government funding bill 13 times. Democratic leadership repeatedly referenced the upcoming deadline for expiring health insurance subsidies as their reason for allowing a government shutdown.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, introduced the Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025 that would have allowed the USDA to fund SNAP through the government shutdown. Eleven senators, including Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn, co-sponsored the bill.
Those working to fill the needs said the food stamps freeze will hurt many families.
Blain said 30% of 4Saints’ 4,500 monthly clients are in the SNAP program. Many more are eligible but haven’t been able to register, she said, due to the complicated application process or the specific work requirements.
Over 220,000 Tarrant County residents are eligible for SNAP, but only 99,903 families and individuals participate as of September, according to Texas Health and Human Services.
“Obviously, yes, the benefits are going away, and that’s going to leave a lot of people struggling,” Blain said. “But there was a problem that precedes this problem, and it’s that this is just a very difficult program to access.”
During the last government shutdown in 2019, USDA was able to temporarily fund SNAP through reserve funds. This time around, department officials have said they can’t allocate funds to SNAP from other sources.
States are also not able to cover the cost of benefits and be reimbursed by the federal government. So far, Virginia is the only state to provide food benefits to its constituents to cover the pause of SNAP funding.
Texas did not join 25 other states in a lawsuit against the federal government for the freeze in SNAP benefits.
Texas Health and Human Services officials said in a statement that the agency’s commission “is monitoring how the federal government shutdown may impact your benefits.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10:02 p.m. Oct. 28 to add comments from Julie Butner, CEO of Tarrant Area Food Bank.
Ismael M. Belkoura is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org.
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