About one in seven Polk County residents received food stamps in September to avoid hunger, according to a Florida database, and yet the federally funded SNAP safety net is set to go unfunded on Nov. 1 because of the government shutdown.
Of those recipients statewide, 43% are children, a Florida Department of Children and Families report said. Polk County’s numbers approximate the statewide data.
At the United Way of Central Florida the loss of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits is expected to impact 15% of Polk households, or 42,402, according to the organization’s CEO and President Christina Jackson Criser.
Nationwide about 42 million people could lose access to SNAP benefits if the government shutdown continues beyond Nov. 1, according to a USA Today report.
Without access to SNAP benefits, residents are anticipated to search for food from nonprofit food pantries, leaving the pantries bracing for a significant uptick in Polk County residents seeking help.
In Lakeland, Pastor Alan Fretto of Blessings and Hope food pantry, now in its 14th year, also has seen a sharp increase in food recipients.
“We have had a demonstrative increase in the number of people who have been coming in the last few months,” he said. “And I would say we are at least 10% more each week than we usually have.”
“We are getting to the point that we are running out of food,” Fretto said. “We’re not getting it from the supply chain. People usually get anywhere from 35 to 50 pounds of food.
“As of Tuesday (Oct.28), which is our normal day of distribution, I would say we had an increase of probably 150 families come to register, and we got to the end of the day and our shelves are empty,” he said.
Blesings and Hope feeds about 3,000 people per week, Fretto said. He added his drive-thru distribution line contained 75 to 100 more cars this week by comparison to the usual line. Some vehicles contained people from additional families as carpooling has increase.
“And all the food stamps and everything has not kicked in yet, so I am not sure where we are going,” he added. “We’ve been talking about, ‘What do we do on Tuesday because we don’t have the supply?’ Right now, they are going to get a very minimal amount of distribution.”
Catholic Charities also supports three pantries in Polk County in Lakeland, Winter Haven and Lake Wales, according to Deacon Gary Tester with the Catholic Diocese of Orlando.
Even if SNAP benefits are restored today, Catholic Charities and most nonprofits said they expect to increase food distribution for several more weeks due to the disruption the government shutdown has caused.
According to the Department of Children and Families:
- Total Recipients: Approximately 2.98 million people received SNAP benefits monthly in FY 2024, representing about 12.7% of Florida’s population (roughly 23.5 million residents). This ranks Florida 19th nationally in terms of the share of its population on SNAP, slightly above the U.S. average of 12.3%.
- Households Served: Around 1.2 million households participate monthly (estimated based on national averages of 2-3 people per SNAP household).
- Average Monthly Benefit: $130 per person, or about $1.44 per meal. Total program spending in Florida for FY 2024 was approximately $4.5 billion to $5 billion (proportional to national trends).
- Children on SNAP: Residents getting SNAP benefits younger than 18 in Florida number over 1.28 million, or one in seven children statewide. Children are 43% of individuals getting food stamps.
Schools are the largest providers of meals for kids.
Breakfast and lunch will continue to be provided to children attending Polk County Public Schools, which feeds them each school day.
“All PCPS students can receive free breakfast and lunch daily at school — that service will not be disrupted by the current situation with the federal government,” said Kyle Kennedy, a senior media relations coordinator for the district.
According to the Lakeland-headquartered United Methodist Conference of Florida, Bishop Tom Berlin said by phone Oct. 30 that he has been communicating with the various churches about their anticipated need for additional food within the communities they serve.
“More people are showing up and with the end of SNAP, they are anticipating many more showing up,” Berlin said of the many food pantries at Florida’s churches.
“So it is predictable, if people have an income source for food that is no longer available, they will search for food in places like food pantries and churches,” he added.
“At the same time this is happening, churches are finding that food banks have less resources than they have had in the past,” Berlin said.
“The deepest concern that we have as United Methodists is that food insecurity will disproportionately impact children,” he said.
“It would seem to be in the interest of Florida citizens if those would are elected representatives would find a way to deal with food insecurity that the end of SNAP is creating,” he said.