Minnesota food shelves seeing demand that's higher now than at any time during, or even before the COVID-19 pandemic, say that demand is only likely to increase with the ending of extra Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Tuesday marked the end Emergency SNAP with final payments expected in March.
The measure approved by Congress at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily increased a boosted households’ monthly benefit to the maximum allotment for their household size. If the household was already receiving the maximum amount, they received an additional $95 each month.
"I think it's an emergency," said Hunger Solutions Executive Director Colleen Moriarty.
Food shelves statewide saw 2 million more visits in 2022 when compared to 2021.
Over 400,000 Minnesotans qualified for Emergency SNAP benefits, which kept the number of people needing to visit the emergency food system during the pandemic.
"That was like a lifeline to many people throughout the state of Minnesota," Moriarty said. "That coupled with the fact we had supports from the state and federal governments to keep people in their home and receiving the kind of benefits they needed, the peel-off of Emergency SNAP means people are really going to be in a difficult situation."
Moriarty credits Minnesota's robust emergency food system featuring over 400 different programs for stepping up to the challenge and distributing food during the most difficult times in its history.
In an effort to assist food banks, Minnesota lawmakers authorized $5 million in emergency food aid.
The Minnesota Senate passed the bill on Monday and it now awaits Governor Tim Walz's signature.
"These local food shelves are in really great need and they need help now," Moriarty said. "I hope within 60 days, it's difficult to say how long it'll take the money to go through the state, that we'll have the money to local food shelves. They need to purchase the food. There is no free food. There's free food for people who come to food shelves, but there's no free food for the food shelves to get it."
Earlier this month WCCO and Second Harvest presented the 14th Annual “Let’s Kick Hunger” Day Thursday with the goal to raise money to stock food shelves across Minnesota.
WCCO listeners helped raise over $447,560 in the one day fundraising event.
Second Harvest Heartland CEO Allison O'Toole said at the time that need had grown significantly, with 5.7 million food bank visits in 2022.
"I think there are a lot of new people visiting food shelves," Moriarty said. "The inflationary costs of food are the same things that bring people to emergency food system because they just don't have the resources to purchase their own food. It places a tremendous pressure on the food banking system and the shelves themselves. They need assistance to get people the food they need."