COLUMBIA, S.C. — Amid the highest food insecurity rates in nearly a decade, a government shutdown is creating hardship and uncertainty for tens of thousands of federal employees, active-duty military members, and people who work for federal contractors in South Carolina. Many hardworking people are just one paycheck away from needing support from their local food bank.
Even before the shutdown, food banks have been experiencing high levels of need, especially in areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene. Many food banks across the Carolinas are seeing an increase of 30% or more compared with this time last year.
One in seven people in South Carolina, including one in five children, lives in a food-insecure household, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Those most at risk of experiencing hunger are children, older adults, veterans, and people with disabilities…