The 43-day government shutdown forced the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to cease providing food assistance to low-income individuals. Locally, Westford has been helping former SNAP beneficiaries offset the lack of government assistance by offering financial aid, free food, and stocking the town food pantry.
The federal government officially shut down on Oct. 1, causing many government services to be cut off or halted. Among the affected programs was SNAP, which has still not received the funding it needs to operate fully despite the government reopening on Nov. 12. This disruption has put nearly 42 million Americans at risk, as they rely on food stamps provided by the program to help feed themselves and their families. According to the Westford CAT, there are approximately 680 families, made up of 1,086 individuals, who live in Westford and use food stamps.
Due to the lack of funding, the SNAP benefits aren’t immediately accessible to those who need it. Since the government has been shut down for more than a month, it will take time for everything to get back up and running again. According to NPR News, Congress signed an order to reopen SNAP after it was said to be suspended throughout the month of November. However, the amount of time that it will take for each individual to receive their benefits varies depending on the state, with some across the nation already receiving some or all of their SNAP benefits.
At the school level, WA Environmental Club came up with a school-wide initiative to collect food items for the residents of Westford.
The club’s food drive competition was established to collect nonperishable foods, such as canned produce, dried foods, condiments, and household and personal care items. The competition lasted from Nov. 6 to Nov. 18, and the food will be given to the Westford Food Pantry.
“Our purpose is to ensure that as much food is collected as possible in order to help those in need,” junior and Environmental Club co-president Ahana Sacheti said. “We are motivating everyone to reach this goal with the help of a friendly club competition in order to ensure that we reach our end goal of overstocking the Westford Food Pantry.”
A local organization, Westford Remembers Memorial Fund, is also assisting the Westford community by handing out $50 Market Basket gift cards.
Originally founded to raise funds for the preservation of Westford memorials, Westford Remembers is a non-profit organization that now focuses on providing direct, service-based assistance to residents in need. In past years, they have supplied financial aid, built a driveway to ensure safety for a handicapped student, and assisted residents with numerous rent and utility bills.
“We got the idea to try to raise $60,000 to provide a $50 Market Basket gift card to each of the 1,086 individuals in Westford [in] SNAP,” Westford Remembers Treasurer Nancy Cook said. “We have delivered $10,000 in Market Basket gift cards to our town. At this moment, we have raised $22,650.”
Certain local restaurants, such as Seoul Kitchen, have also launched initiatives to provide previous SNAP beneficiaries with food. Seoul Kitchen is providing free takeout to those affected by the government shutdown. Someone who previously benefited from SNAP can go to the restaurant on Tuesdays and Thursdays to get the most popular dishes, enough for a family of four, free of charge.
