‘I need this to survive’
Lehigh Valley families prepare for end of expanded SNAP payments
Allentown resident Alexandra Suero-Perez is worried about major changes coming next month for Pennsylvanians who receive food assistance from the federal SNAP program.
That’s when additional monthly payments families have received since April 2020 are coming to an end.
Suero-Perez, who had to take off work as a crossing guard due to her pregnancy and only just started receiving benefits from SNAP, said this makes things extremely difficult.
“It would be a very huge loss,” she said. “If I was to get less than what I was receiving, then I technically wouldn’t be able to feed as much for my family and for myself. Because I want a healthy pregnancy, I would want all the … nutrients that could benefit me and my child.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, a second payment called an emergency allotment has gone to people receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments — SNAP, formerly known as food stamps — every month. These allowed recipients to receive an increase to reach their maximum SNAP benefit amount or an additional $95 per month — whichever is greater.
February was the final month for those extra payments.
Run by state agencies with federal funds, SNAP serves more than 1.9 million people in Pennsylvania, according to Deputy Communications Director Natalie Scott at the Department of Human Services. More than 59,000 Lehigh County residents and 34,000 in Northampton County receive SNAP benefits.
The reduction in benefits will be an estimated average of $181 per household, Scott said.
“DHS is deeply concerned about the impact of the immediate reduction in SNAP benefits on individuals and families,” she said in an email. “We have been working to inform Pennsylvanians of these imminent changes for weeks now, to be sure that all SNAP recipients are receiving the maximum benefits for their household size and individual circumstances.”
The 2023 cost of living adjustment for Social Security income of 8.7%, which went into effect in January, also bodes ill for SNAP benefits.
That’s because the thresholds for SNAP eligibility didn’t rise proportionately with the SSI change, Scott explained, as those cost of living adjustments don’t go into effect until October.
This means that roughly 249,000 households will experience a decrease in their base SNAP benefits by an average of $40 per household, and that about 5,00020,000 households will be disenrolled from SNAP because they’re receiving more from Social Security.
That will affect mostly older state residents, Scott said.
And, it’s not just families that will feel the effect, Scott said.
“Grocers and food retailers across the commonwealth will also be impacted due to a significant reduction in monthly income from food assistance funds by more than $200 million, further highlighting the need for urgent federal action and additional federal resources,” she said.
Suero-Perez said that because of the decrease in SNAP benefits, she will likely have to rely more on local food pantries.
“I’m not trying to be selfish to the point where it’s like, ‘I want, I want, I want, give me, give me, give me,’ ” she said. “It’s more like … I need this to survive.”
Allentown residents Jose Garcia, who is a retiree, and his daughter Catherine Ruffing, who works as a cashier, said the price of food has been skyrocketing to the point that it’s already difficult to afford the essentials even with the SNAP program.
Ruffing added that because of the emergency allotment payments ending, she will have to pick up more hours at work.
“When you’re trying to feed a family — my family of five, his family of eight — on a fixed income, it hurts when they take out the SNAP benefits,” she said.
“They should continue ,” Garcia said.
Food pantries are bracing for the changes.
Anne Egan, executive director of the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank, said her food pantry serves about 1,800 households, about 7,000 individuals, per month.
She said she is concerned with the decrease in SNAP benefits and is anticipating an increase in people who use the food pantry’s services as a result, adding that she hopes to see an increase in financial donations to accommodate the change.
“Every $10, $25, $100 donation helps,” Egan said.
In a release, Cheryl Cook, the Department of Agriculture’s deputy secretary for strategic initiatives and market development, said, “Food banks and pantries are the last line of defense against hunger, not a replacement for SNAP. For the charitable food network to better serve those who need more help as a result of SNAP benefit reductions, it is important for all who are able, to donate time, money, and food to help our regional food banks and local food pantries.”
There are resources available for people in need in light of the SNAP changes, the department said:
SNAP recipients who are pregnant or have children under 5 may be able to get help buying food from the Pennsylvania Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children; call 1-800-WIC-WINS.
Call 211 or go to www. pa211.org to find local food resources.
Check Feeding Pennsylvania’s website, feedingpa.org, to find local food banks and other food assistance programs.
The Senior Food Box Program can provide SNAPeligible senior citizens with additional shelf-stable groceries.