Copyright Lewiston Morning Tribune
It’s unclear when families will feel hunger pangs due to the federal shutdown, but Lewiston School District officials worry it could be soon. They expect hunger to increase if the U.S. Department of Agriculture suspends the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or food stamps) on Nov. 4. The HUB, which gives food and other resources to students and their families in the Lewiston School District, is hearing concerns from people. On Tuesday, the HUB readied weekly grocery boxes for about 10 families. Last year, the HUB consistently fed about 20 families. But workers can’t predict how much the need for food will increase if the USDA suspends food stamps next week. “I’ve been worried about it, I’m not going to lie,” said Jennifer Wallace, one of three social workers at the HUB. Wallace asked a woman last week how the HUB might assist with Thanksgiving meals. The woman said she had just lost her job and was about to lose food stamps. “She said she doubted if her family would have Thanksgiving at all this year,” Wallace said. A month ago, the HUB cheered when a fundraising drive by The Grocery Outlet raised $16,000. The HUB budgeted for that money to last until June 2026. However, that will change if need increases significantly, Wallace said. To make matters worse, Lewiston School Superintendent Tim Sperber said there’s talk of losing funding for federally subsidized school food programs. “We’re hearing now that federal lunch funding may be in jeopardy,” Sperber said. The warning came from the Idaho Child Nutrition Programs under the Idaho Department of Education. School administrators were advised that school food programs would endure a federal shutdown that lasted through October. After that, funding would become uncertain. A call to the state education department was not returned Tuesday. The HUB started at Whitman Elementary when Sperber was the school’s principal. Donor commitment soon grew the program to the point that it moved to the Old Lewiston High campus, where it is today. Also Tuesday, more than two dozen states sued the Trump Administration over its decision not to use emergency monies to continue funding SNAP, a program that benefits $40 million Americans. In Idaho, 130,000 participate in SNAP, according to the USDA. Ferguson can be reached at dferguson@lmtribune.com.
