Manchester Community Resource Center preparing for SNAP benefits pause

Food Pantry at the Community Resource Center. Mirror file photo, courtesy of Carol Wotring.

by Sara Swanson

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture instructed states to stop processing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November. More than 41 million Americans rely on SNAP, the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program. About 1.4 million Michiganders rely on SNAP to eat, and they redeem about $300 million a month—or $3.6 billion in a year—at local retailers across the state.

On average, SNAP provides $335 per month per household. Kate Bauer, an associate professor of nutritional sciences at the U of M School of Public Health, explained, “Low-income families are constantly juggling their bills, because so many jobs don’t pay enough for people to keep up. A loss of $335 of SNAP benefits means that money from other places now has to pay for food. It means that some families may not be able to pay their rent, that their electricity gets turned off, or that they can’t repair the car that they depend on to get to work. This pause will have long-term consequences for many families.”

The Manchester Community Resource Center (CRC) operates an open-choice pantry for the Manchester area. Carol Wotring, executive director of the CRC, stated, “The CRC is closely monitoring the impact of recent SNAP benefit changes on our community. Demand for our food pantry has remained consistently high over the last three years, and we expect the SNAP benefit changes to exacerbate this existing food insecurity. Clients have told us they will need to use the pantry more often in the coming months. Additionally, our Weekend Kids Meal program is currently serving 39 Manchester Community Schools students—more than ever before. Food insecurity in our area is high, but we want to assure the community that we are prepared to meet the increased need. We have proactively ordered additional food supplies from Food Gatherers and are ready to serve more families.”

How the Community Can Help:

Wotring explained that monetary donations are the most effective way to support the CRC’s efforts, as they can purchase food from Food Gatherers at significantly reduced costs compared to retail prices. They also welcome donations of canned and dry food goods that are unopened, in original packaging with labels, in good condition, and within six months of the “sell by” date.

Additional Resources:

Food Gatherers is scheduling additional food distributions throughout Washtenaw County in November. For distribution locations and times, please call the Manchester CRC at 734-428-7722, or email them at info@manchestercrc.org. For a list of Washtenaw County food pantries, visit Food Gatherers’ website at foodgatherers.org.

“We remain committed to ensuring no one in our community goes hungry during this challenging time,” Wotring added. “It has been a challenging time for us, but we have also had an outpouring of goodwill from the community.”

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.