KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Wednesday was a busy day at Feeding America West Michigan’s warehouse in Comstock Park. Dozens of workers and volunteers were everywhere: driving the forklift, filling boxes with food, stacking boxes on pallets, and then saran-wrapping mounds of other boxes so that they stand perfectly still together.
However, one thing was on their minds while working: the end of the COVID-era SNAP benefits.
“The extra SNAP benefits that came during the pandemic that are ending starting today have us very nervous,” said FAWM President and CEO Ken Estelle. “Part of it's because we know just in the West Michigan area, 65-70,000 people that are participating in SNAP. There could, you know, could be more, but the fact that that extra income is being reduced and so many people aren’t aware of it.”
“The extra SNAP benefits that came during the pandemic that are ending today have us very nervous” says @feedingwestmich
— Lauren Edwards (@LaurenEdwardsTV) March 1, 2023
CEO says recipients - 65,000 in WM - may see an avg $95 loss to hundreds of dollars@FeedingAmerica & local pantries are preparing to help more ppl. / @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/TNJsLR44zO
The bump in SNAP benefits, or food stamps, began when COVID first broke out in March 2020. Wednesday, after almost three years, it ended, which immediately impacted millions of people nationwide.
Estelle said recipients could see on average a $95 loss. However, for families that could be hundreds of dollars.
“What we found is the people on the lower end of the income for their household size they actually have the biggest hit,” he said. “They’re going to see the most change. So, as an example, a family of four, that’s probably $1,700 a month, maybe minimum benefit, they’re going to see their SNAP benefits drop from $900 to $400.”
Estelle anticipates that they’ll rely on pantries more to get their foods, especially with the price of eggs and other foods rising.
“We’re going to see an increase in people coming here. We’ve actually seen that probably I’d say in the last three or four weeks,” said Lori Gresnick with Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry. “We usually get a lot of people that we know, like familiar faces. We’ve noticed a lot of families and a lot people that we don’t really know. So, we’re getting more increase.”
Gresnick is the recreational program coordinator for the Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department. She oversees the pantries: the one at the community center and the other at the library.
She said both are stocked and they should be OK over the next few months. However, they do have a plan to meet the demand should it grow.
“With our donations, we find a lot give at Christmas and then through the winter, and we’ll see a drop off in the summer. That’s when people are busy. They have other things to do and donations drop off,” Gresnick said. “So, that’s when we use our monetary donations to supplement our two pantries.”
Feeding America West Michigan has the same plan, which is to buy food to cover any losses. So, they’re buying from wholesalers now to make sure their partners' shelves are always filled.
“We buy food in big volume, by the truckloads,” Estelle said. “So, we’ll typically try to get that food in. We’re doing that now in anticipation of a higher demand.”
