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Sign upFile: Crates of milk are seen at a food bnk warehouse on July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
Time is running out for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to go out to eligible families in November. More than three weeks into the federal government shutdown, states are bracing for at least a temporary pause in SNAP payments starting next month.
SNAP provides food assistance for 42 million people across the U.S. About 1 in 8 Americans rely on the program. Among them are 2 million people in Pennsylvania, with nearly 472,000 recipients in Philadelphia, or roughly 30% of the city’s population.
Nearly 70% of SNAP recipients are children, older adults or people with a disability, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In Pennsylvania, a looming SNAP freeze would occur against the backdrop of the commonwealth’s own budget impasse, which has stalled billions of dollars from going to schools and social services. The Pennsylvania budget is currently 116 days past due as of Oct. 24, with no end in sight.
Here’s what to know about November SNAP payments, where to find alternative food resources and how to help.
Federal food aid will not go out on Nov. 1, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Congress and President Donald Trump could strike a deal to end the federal shutdown that began Oct. 1, but a delay in benefits could still be possible.
The Trump administration won’t tap contingency funds to keep food aid flowing, according to a USDA memo obtained by The Associated Press, stating that the funds are “not legally available to cover regular benefits.”
Pennsylvania officials expect previously allocated SNAP benefits to remain accessible in November and are telling beneficiaries to save, if able.
In a letter sent to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Thursday, 46 of 47 Democrats in the U.S. Senate had urged the release of contingency funds for partial SNAP benefits. U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, was the lone Democrat not to sign the letter.
In a video message posted to X, Fetterman and fellow Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican, said it’s time to reopen the federal government.
U.S. Senate Republicans are considering a bill to keep SNAP funding flowing introduced by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, of Missouri. A companion bill was introduced in the U.S. House on Friday by U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, of Iowa.
As of September, nearly 472,000 Philadelphians receive SNAP benefits, according to Pennsylvania Department of Human Services data. Across the city and its collar counties, nearly 685,000 residents are enrollees, or about 16% of the area’s population.
Next to Philadelphia — where close to one-third of the city’s population relies on SNAP — Delaware County sees the highest percentage of SNAP recipients among Philly’s suburbs, with roughly 575,000 enrollees (13%), compared with more than 46,000 and nearly 63,000 in Bucks and Montgomery counties, respectively (7% each) and over 29,000 in Chester County (5%).
A collection of food banks, pantries and related resources can be found by county below:
A host of state and local organizations — from food banks and pantries to community fridges and grassroots coalitions — are dedicated to fighting food insecurity throughout the Philadelphia region.
Those interested in helping curb food insecurity may donate, volunteer or otherwise partner with any number of related organizations, including the more than 200 that are categorized by county above.
Below is a small handful in the Philadelphia region:
A collection of food banks, pantries and related resources can be found by county below:
A host of state and local organizations — from food banks and pantries to community fridges and grassroots coalitions — are dedicated to fighting food insecurity throughout the Philadelphia region.
Those interested in helping curb food insecurity may donate, volunteer or otherwise partner with any number of related organizations, including the more than 200 that are categorized by county above.
Below is a small handful in the Philadelphia region:
Food banks in Pennsylvania had already been feeling the strain before the federal government shutdown.
The massive tax and spending bill passed by Republicans in July included major cuts to SNAP.
The legislation extended Trump’s 2017 multitrillion-dollar tax cuts and cut Medicaid and food stamps by $1.2 trillion.
The so-called “big, beautiful bill” also included new work requirements for SNAP. Adult recipients under 55 who don’t have children must now prove they work or volunteer at least 20 hours a week. In November, veterans and people between 55 and 64 must also comply with the change.
SNAP eligibility was also removed for some immigrants, including refugees.
Up to 144,000 Pennsylvanians and up to 45,000 Philadelphians risk losing access to SNAP as a result of the recent changes, according to the state.
“We’re worried that many people may lose access to SNAP not because they’re no longer eligible, but because they don’t get the correct piece of paper in and processed at the right time,” Lydia Gottesfeld, an attorney at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, previously told WHYY News.
Separately, the ongoing government shutdown has left more than 66,000 federal workers in the state without pay.
A surge in demand due to paused SNAP benefits and shutdown furloughs would likely exacerbate existing pressure on local food banks.
Share Food Program, which serves the Greater Philadelphia region, has already had to cut its budget by 20% this year, executive director George Matysik told The Associated Press.
“Any time we have a crisis,” he said, “it’s always the working class that feels the pain first.”
WHYY News’ Zoë Read, WITF’s Jaxon White and The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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