Broome County Executive Jason Garnar held a press conference Oct. 31 joined by numerous local agencies and food banks to declare a state of emergency and share resources put in place to help residents keep food on the table while Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits come to a halt starting Nov. 1.
“While we cannot replace SNAP, we can and we will do everything possible to help people get through this very difficult time,” Garnar said of the ongoing government shutdown, calling SNAP cuts a “massive loss” for the community as a whole.
“We’re standing on the precipice of a man-made crisis. This is a policy choice,” said Sarah DeFrank, Director of Advocacy and Education at the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.
DeFrank urged residents to practice “kindness, patience and empathy” as the community adjusts to the loss of SNAP, “the first line of defense against hunger.” As of Oct. 31, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier has already made 500 emergency food boxes that have been packaged and sent out to the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW) to be distributed.
According to DeFrank, there are 26,000 Broome County residents who will lose their SNAP benefits over the coming weeks — impacting children, young adults, seniors and individuals with disabilities. Funds have been frontloaded to partner organizations of the Food Bank to stock up and prepare for the increase in demand.