Grocers fill the SNAP gap

Amid an ongoing federal establishment shutdown the Department of Agriculture which administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan SNAP froze funding for national food assistance effective Nov That left nearly million Americans without benefits to purchase groceries and other essentials As food insecurity experts predicted food banks and local pantries nationwide have experienced a drastic surge in demand so much so that particular food bank administrators are saying it could lead to a community medical emergency Late last Wednesday the USDA released that it would issue partial benefits this month in accordance with a court order requiring it to tap into SNAP s contingency fund As a aftermath SNAP recipients will receive up to of their benefits rather than the original that states had been directed to implement USDA performed further analysis and determined that the maximum allotments need only be reduced by instead of to deplete the SNAP contingency fund Patrick Penn the undersecretary of the USDA s Food and Nutrition Arrangement revealed in a court declaration per CNN Related Champagne sequins SNAP cuts A real-life Gatsby party Still SNAP benefits remain in flux as numerous families nationwide are still unsure when or if their partial benefits for this month will hit their accounts To provide additional help several companies and retailers have stepped in to expand their partnerships with various food relief organizations and provide discounts for SNAP recipients across the country Here s what s going on across the country DoorDash On Oct DoorDash publicized the launch of an crisis food response affiliated with Project DASH a partnership with over food banks pantries and population organizations to deliver food and other essentials to individuals experiencing food insecurity DoorDash is waiving merchant fees for all Project DASH partners nationwide throughout November The company is also waiving provision and delivery fees for an estimated grocery orders for SNAP recipients Twenty-five grocery stores including Sprouts Dollar General Giant Eagle Stop Shop Winn-Dixie BJ s Wholesale Club and ShopRite are partnering with DoorDash to eliminate those fees the Associated Press announced No one should go hungry in America period Max Rettig Vice President and Global Head of Constituents Strategy at DoorDash explained in a declaration Millions of families are worried right now about how they ll put food on the table Fighting hunger is core to our mission at DoorDash and we re stepping up alongside leading grocers and retailers to help bridge the gap We know this is a stopgap not a cure But doing nothing completely isn t an option Instacart Instacart is offering SNAP recipients specifically customers who used SNAP EBT benefits to get groceries delivered via Instacart in October an individual discount code that offers percent off their next grocery order We re committed to ensuring every family in every society can put food on the table Dani Dudeck Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Instacart disclosed in an Oct report As SNAP funding faces unprecedented disruption and food banks brace for longer lines we re focused on practical immediate solutions helping families who use SNAP stretch their grocery dollars and helping food banks stock up to aid their communities Instacart is also expanding its nationwide Area Carts Campaign to endorsement over Feeding America food bank partners and agencies across the country Gopuff Gopuff is offering a credit which will be broken into two credits during the month of November for SNAP-eligible grocery items according to an announcement made on Oct To receive both credits Gopuff customers must add a SNAP EBT card to their Gopuff account if their card isn t already connected From Nov to Nov customers must use the code SNAPRELIEF at checkout for off SNAP-eligible items and free delivery From Nov to Nov customers must use code SNAPRELIEF at checkout to receive their second credit Gopuff is committing up to million in total relief the announcement added Albertsons Albertsons Companies is accelerating the distribution of million in annual holiday gift cards to area food banks through its Nourishing Neighbors effort per an announcement made Oct This is our sixth year to give holiday gift cards to area food banks and we are pleased to be able to distribute them early during a time when it s needed preponderance revealed Christy Duncan Anderson President and Executive Director of the Albertsons Companies Foundation Food insecurity touches over million households across the country and by donating gift cards we are giving those in need the dignity to choose what they want to eat during the holidays when they want to eat it H-E-B In an Oct announcement H-E-B mentioned it donated five million dollars to Texas food banks and an additional one million dollars to Meals on Wheels programs across the state The rate of food insecurity in Texas has increased from percent to percent since according to Feeding Texas One in five children within the state experience hunger while percent of Texas seniors face food insecurity Additionally throughout November and December H-E-B will host its annual Feast of Sharing a series of festive holiday gatherings that serve over meals at dinners throughout Texas and Mexico the San Antonio-based supermarket chain added In the more than three decades H-E-B has held the celebrations helpers have helped serve nearly five million meals Read more about SNAP Trump s SNAP shutoff is vicious political theater Stop asking who s winning the shutdown Why Snickers or soup is the new trick or treat The post Grocers fill the SNAP gap appeared first on Salon com