When Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments failed to arrive Nov. 1, organizations across Evansville, Ind., faced an immediate crisis. Nearly 19,000 people in Vanderburgh County suddenly lost access to food assistance, creating a gap that local groups scrambled to fill through emergency grocery distributions, mobile food banks and coordinated relief efforts.
The numbers tell the story of who got hurt. In September, 9,557 households in the county received SNAP benefits, supporting 18,737 individuals according to Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration. Statewide, roughly 9% of Indiana’s population relied on the program in 2024, with more than two thirds of participants being families with children. Over 38% included older adults or disabled members, while more than a third were working families choosing between groceries and other basic expenses.
Federal funding returns with conditions
Relief appears to be coming after weeks of uncertainty. The U.S. Senate reached a deal to temporarily end the government shutdown and fund SNAP through next fall, though the measure still requires House approval and the president’s signature. Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced that partial benefits would begin flowing to eligible residents starting this week.
The state’s Family and Social Services Administration indicated it stands ready to deliver full benefits as soon as the shutdown concludes completely. However, the partial allotment calculation means roughly 4,000 current SNAP households will receive nothing until full funding resumes. Those families remain entirely dependent on local relief efforts for now.
Emergency response feeds thousands
The scale of Evansville’s response demonstrated what coordinated community action can accomplish under pressure. More than 2,000 individuals received assistance Nov. 8 at the Feed Evansville Free SNAP Grocery Store, held at the CK Newsome Center Community Kitchen. The three hour event served over 200 households with complete weekly groceries including dairy products, meat, produce and dry goods…