Food banks are open as usual during this federal government shutdown, as concerns are rising for what might happen with benefits if the situation drags on.
"We've very rarely seen long-term shutdowns that have led to actual impacts on public benefit access," said Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Food Banks.
Novotny said that means for October, those receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the Women, Infants and Children food program should have no concerns.
But if the shutdown goes beyond this month, "then there will be different scenarios to take into consideration" when it comes to SNAP or WIC.
"So we're just going to stay in touch with our partners at the state and federal level to make sure that we're communicating transparently and at the right point, so that folks aren't feeling unnecessarily concerned about access to resources," Novotny said.
As for federal money that goes to food banks, Novotny said those funds "have already been authorized and approved because a lot of those grants run on different cycles than the federal fiscal year," said Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Food Banks. She said a program that supplies food for seniors has deliveries scheduled into the future, and isn't expecting delays or disruptions in access.
Food banks got $24.5 million in each year of the new state budget, which is a drop of $7.5 million from the previous fiscal year. This comes as grocery prices have risen 29% over the last five years.
