“Man-made disaster”: Alabama Food Bank awaits crisis when SNAP stops

AUBURN, Ala. (WRBL) — As the federal government shutdown drags into its fourth week, hunger relief leaders across Alabama are warning a crisis could leave thousands of families without food.

At the Food Bank of East Alabama, Executive Director Martha Henk says the looming halt to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits on November 1 could mark the start of what she calls a “man-made disaster.”

“For every meal we distribute, SNAP provides nine,” Henk said. “If those benefits stop, there’s simply no way food banks can make that up.”

Even before the shutdown, food insecurity was climbing. Feeding America reports rates are at a ten-year high nationwide. In Lee County, the rate rose from 14% in 2023 to 18% in 2025 — with one in four children now living in food-insecure homes. Inflation, rent increases, and underemployment have deepened the strain.

“People are working, often two jobs, but wages haven’t kept up,” Henk said. “You can’t go to the grocery store and get out for under $100 — and that’s without meat.”

SNAP — makes up about 1.5% of the federal budget, roughly $100 billion a year, with the average recipient getting $6–$7 a day for food. The USDA warns it cannot issue November benefits without new funding. That puts 41 million Americans, including 750,000 Alabamians, at risk of losing access to groceries. The Associated Press reports that the agency has chosen not to tap into $5 billion in contingency funds that could temporarily extend the program.

“That’s 18,000 people in Lee County alone,” Henk said. “Each of those numbers is a person — a parent, a child, a veteran — suddenly unable to buy food.”

About 1.2 million veterans rely on SNAP, and a 2023 study found one in four active-duty service members live in food-insecure households — double the civilian rate.

The shutdown began October 1 when Congress failed to pass a budget, furloughing about 750,000 federal workers and forcing thousands more to work without pay. Each week costs the U.S. economy up to $2 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The Food Bank of East Alabama serves seven counties, distributing 5.4 million pounds of food a year through 178 agencies. Henk says if SNAP stops, food banks nationwide will be overwhelmed.

“We’re already getting calls from people who’ve never needed help before,” she said. “Food pantries can only serve so many in a day. We can’t replace a program that large.”

To prepare, Henk has spent nearly $200,000 on emergency food shipments — money the food bank doesn’t have in its budget.

“We are responding to an emergency situation. We’ll do it because it’s the right thing to do,” she said. “But we can’t sustain that indefinitely.”

Henk, who has led the food bank since 1995, says she’s seen tornadoes, hurricanes, and even COVID — but never a crisis like this.

“This feels like a natural disaster, except this one’s man-made,” she said. “It’s preventable.

After weathering the COVID-19 pandemic, Henk said food banks were finally regaining stability. But then the Trump Administration did away with USDA programs, funded under the Biden Administration, including the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program.

“That program alone brought us six million pounds of fresh produce — watermelon, onions, blueberries, lettuce,” she said. “It helped farmers stay afloat and kept families healthy. Losing it hurt everyone.”

Her message to lawmakers is direct:

“Sit down, have a cup of coffee, and fix it. This shutdown is hurting real people, and it’s cruel.”

Still, she holds on to hope, grounded in faith and community.

“We may not eliminate hunger in our lifetime, but we can be faithful,” Henk said. “Every can donated, every dollar given, every hour volunteered — it all matters.”

How to help

• Donate food or funds: Collection bins are available at most grocery stores.

• Volunteer: Sign-ups open at foodbankofeastalabama.com.

• Join the Beat Bama Food Drive: Donations made locally stay local through November 20.

“A Swahili proverb says, ‘Little by little fills the measure,’” Henk said. “If each of us gives a little, together we’ll make sure our neighbors don’t go hungry.”

Henk reiterates undocumented immigrants are not eligible for SNAP benefits under federal law. (USDA FNS) However, they still contribute to public funds — using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs). Studies from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimate undocumented workers pay nearly $100 billion annually in federal, state, and local taxes, helping support programs like SNAP, Social Security, and Medicare, even though they’re largely ineligible to use them.