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CLEVELAND, Ohio — A coalition of local governments, nonprofits and Cleveland’s major sports teams has put together $600,000 for emergency food aid to fight hunger just as 190,000 Cuyahoga County residents lose SNAP benefits — and officials admit that may only cover one month’s worth of food. The stopgap funding, announced Friday at the May Dugan Center as staff handed out food in the background, comes as the federal government continues to be shut down over a budget stalemate. President Donald Trump’s administration will pause funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often known as SNAP of food stamps, at midnight. The $600,000 is meant to help the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and local pantries stock shelves as families brace for a lapse in benefits. Congresswoman Shontel Brown told reporters that neither U.S. House or U.S. Senate were poised to meet and vote on any new legislation. “That means there is no chance that this government shutdown is resolved before the November 1 SNAP cliff,” Brown said. The funding was pulled together by a range of elected officials, nonprofits and private businesses. Cleveland and Cuyahoga County contributed to the $600,000, as did the Cleveland Foundation, Gund Foundation, The Word Church as well as the Cavs, Guardians and Browns. Exact details on the amounts each contributed were not available Friday afternoon. Elected leaders like Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive described the funding as just a start, saying that if the shutdown loomed, more money would be needed. Cleveland Foundation CEO Lillian Kuri said during the news conference that funding was a one-month bridge and would allow the food bank to purchase additional food needed for the month of November, which expects to hand out six million pounds of food in total. All the leaders at the news conference shared the same message: real people are being hurt because of a political showdown. And while city, county and state officials are all allocating funding — it can’t replace SNAP’s reach. In Cuyahoga County, SNAP benefits are distributed to qualifying recipients on a staggered schedule from the first of the month through the 20th. Based on the monthly schedule, 3% of the county’s 190,000 recipients — roughly 5,700 people — were expecting their payments Saturday. By the end of next week, 48% will have missed them. The remaining 52% will face the same fate if the shutdown stalls funding past Nov. 20. Across Ohio, $263 million in SNAP benefits are distributed to provide grocery aid to 1.4 million residents. Brown called on the federal government to unlock $6 billion from a SNAP contingency fund — money she and other lawmakers say could temporarily keep benefits flowing. SNAP benefits have traditionally been sent to residents, even during shutdowns. She said she’s hopeful that a lawsuit filed by 25 states against the federal government will result in a judge forcing the White House to distribute benefits. The Trump administration maintains that it isn’t allowed to use a contingency fund with about $5 billion in it for the program, a reversal of a USDA plan from before the shutdown that said that money would be tapped to keep SNAP running, the Associated Press reports. The Democratic-led states argue in their lawsuit that not only could that contingency money be used, it must be. They say a separate fund with around $23 billion could also be tapped. City Council President Blaine Griffin said the SNAP shortfall adds strain to neighborhoods already struggling with food insecurity. “This potential reduction of federal SNAP funding isn’t some abstract policy debate,” Griffin said. “It’s a humanitarian crisis that is hitting our homes block by block in every single neighborhood.” Warrensville Heights Mayor Brad Sellers, like others, said feeding people isn’t a partisan issue. He said the press conference was to announce aid, but also to put pressure on federal lawmakers to restore SNAP funding. “Ultimately, my own belief is that the pressure will force this to end,” Seller said. “The question is, when is it going to end?” The Greater Cleveland Food Bank on Friday said in an email that it’s preparing for a “large increase in neighbor turnout” at its S. Waterloo Healthy Choice Food Market in the coming weeks. The bank is expanding volunteer shifts throughout November and recruiting up to 40 more people per shift to meet the expected demand. Anyone in need of food assistance or other resources can visit the Greater Cleveland Food Bank or call 2-1-1.
