At a news conference Oct. 31 in Menasha, area community advocates sounded the alarm about a pause in FoodShare benefits starting Nov. 1.
FoodShare, the name of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Wisconsin, is meant to help people buy food at grocery stores and farmers markets. Many people who receive FoodShare benefits — about 33,500 in Calumet, Outagamie and Winnebago counties — are disabled, elderly or live on lower or fixed incomes. The program is completely funded by the federal government. Funding will run out while the government shutdown continues.
In the meantime, people who run food banks and pantries in the Fox Cities are already seeing a surge in the number of people looking for help. They warned that the negative effects from the pause could cascade throughout the community. And many encouraged residents to call their representatives and urge them to keep FoodShare funded…